I don't believe that Donnington Hall will stay as the nerve centre of bmibaby or even bmi mainly as it is too expensive. With enterprise zones being earmarked around the England & Wales it maybe a cheaper option to move to one of these.
I know this is a long shot however it is possible
Vueling is a subsidiary of Iberia (IAG) and has announced that it is to operate Barcelona to Cardiff 3 x weekly from March 2012. And a week before the agreement in principle of IAG purchasing BMI. So could be the first move in a major expansion into the UK market for Vueling?
As part of the purchase bmibaby will become Vueling however the aircraft leased Boeing 737-300 / 737-800 will either be returned to the lessor or sent to Gatwick as they won't fit in with the Vueling fleet.
Due to duplication of some routes BA will be required to reduce it's fleet with the Airbus A319 of BMI and possibly some of the BA A319 being transferred over to Vueling. This will be the fleet renewal that many have called for at bmibaby.
The Airbus fleet of bmi, British Airways, Iberia & Vueling do fit well to allow for some tranfer around the IAG group.
Vueling 1 x A319, 47 x A320
bmi 9 x A319, 7 x A320, 7 x A321, (2 x A330 possibly to be moved to Iberia)
BA 33 x A319, 38 x A320, 11 x A321
Iberia 21 x A319, 28 x A320, 19 x A321, 19 x A340-300 (to be removed by Q4 2012), 17 x A340-600.
Future Growth
bmi (3 x A319 options)
BA (A mixture of options for A319, A320 & A321)
Iberia (2 x A330-200 to be leased but could use the ex bmi lease instead / 16 x A330-300, on order)
Bit of a long shot but it is very possible.
Last edited by mathers_wales_uk; 4th Nov 2011 at 19:43.