Continuing the retro feel of the thread if I may there have been many other non BA/Maersk/Duo routes (some downright strange or daft!) that have graced the pages of the BHX timetable at some point or another including
Le Havre/Caen (was it Love Air?)
Rotterdam/Eindhoven (I recall this was very briefly a BA franchise?)
Augsburg - Interot
Basle - Crossair
Kirkwall (via ABZ) BA Highland Division?
Norwich
Newquay - WW and BE
Plymouth, Gatwick - Brymon
Kiev - Aerosvit (why was that route ever flown?)
Moscow - Air India!
Loganair actually as Loganair did a season BHX-GCI on an ATR, 2002 ish?
And much more recently, the more recent crop of 'fulfill our initial contract at BHX until we have to pay full landing fees' routes from FR including Biarritz, Olbia, Bologna, Billund, Torp, Stockholm, Pisa, Poitiers, Trapani, Krakow
And for long haul - Tashkent, Amritsar, Delhi, Chicago, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Tehran, Philadelphia, Bishkek
Not sure if Gulf Traveller to AUH ever got off the ground? It was certainly in the BHX timetable. Those chancers FlyWho certainly never got going.......I also seem to remember Tajikstan Airlines very briefly operating to Dushanbe???? A Tristar?? Could be wrong.
As for scheduled airlines - Highland Express, Metropolitan, Uzbekistan, Aerosvit, American, Iberia, Air India, Crossair, Swissair, Alitalia, Krygystan Airlines (TU134??), Air Canada, British Midland and BMI, Czech Airlines, Interot, Newair (did Billund on an F27 in the 80's), American, US Airways, Community Express (LGW-BHX-LPL on a Jetstream I flew LGW-BHX once on their Jetstream!) Brymon, Norwegian, Sky Europe, Germanwings, HLX, Wardair.......some are still around many gone but that is why aviation is so fascinating as it changes all the while
Did Sabena ever fly their own metal into BHX, I seem to remember they always codeshared with BD on their DC9's?
I love a bit of nostalgia!
I agree with Daza, BHX routes are looking more healthy again in 2012 despite very challenging economics. It is doubtful any of the ones I have mentioned above will ever see the light of day again for all sorts of reasons. It is a pity that FR have not fulfilled early promise with route development but there could be more from ZB in the next few years as well as WW (if a new owner has deep pockets!). Personally I am disappointed that the MAD route is still a gaping hole, IB must have looked but deemed it no go from BHX for whatever reason at the moment
