bmi launching services to India
 

bmi, the UK’s second largest full-service scheduled airline, today confirmed its plans to launch services from Heathrow to Mumbai and from Heathrow to Bangalore.

bmi plans a daily service between Heathrow and Mumbai and a six-times-weekly service between Heathrow and Bangalore.

The airline plans to launch services in March 2005.

I'd like to confirm my plans :cool: to launch scheduled service from Heathrow to India flying a Bulldog ("every seat a window seat!", "no worries about the passenger in front reclining their seat into your space!")

OK, OK, there's the small matter of traffic rights. I don't have Indian traffic rights, and AFAIK neither does bmi. So that puts us about level. :O

I note that BA has just indicated they want the new traffic rights to launch Hyderabad and Bangalore, and I seem to recall Virgin wants them too, and doubtless there'll be some startup or other making a pitch for them too. So this supposed "confirming plans" by bmi is more of a PR stunt than a genuine route launch.

Anyone know when the allocation of the recently-agreed UK rights is actually going to happen? I assume it'll be a CAA scarce-capacity hearing?

Right, off to work on the business plan for Bulldog Subcontinental Airways... ;)

Both India and the UK are permitted to increase flights from 19 now to 40 per week each under the newly agreed bilateral. The change is expected to be phased in gradually, but ultimately there are alot of new flights to be shared around here. BMI appears well placed to take advantage of the changes. Hope they remember to serve MAN too!

Hi,

I'm assuming that flights to and from Amritsar are not part of this agreement? For those who dont know -Amritsar is approx. 200miles north of Delhi. Amritsar is situated in the state of Punjab, which is home state to many sikhs. So, those sikhs currently residing abroad (UK,USA,Canada, etc...) would prefer to travel to Amritsar, rather than fly to Delhi -followed by a six hour road journey to their home state.
Shame, if this airport were overlooked, as I think that this would be another good earner for any of our carriers. Currently I think this airport is served by Turkmenistan Airlines (LHR->Tashkent->Amritsar). It can be difficult to get seats for their flights due to high demand. I thought that Monarch (using a 767?) ran a limited service there last winter -any Monarch folks care to comment on demand and viability of this route ie UK to Amritsar?

Just my thoughts.

Has.

Hmmm.... couple of questions then?

Firstly, where are they getting the aircraft from? Surely they can't support all these routes from LHR and MAN with just 3 A330's?

Secondly, why isn't this on their Press Release pages on their website?

Maybe this has something to do with the fact that bmi are outsourcing their reservations call centre to India early next year? Free commuting for all ex-call centre staff?

BMI lays claim for India frequencies from LHR
Victoria Moores, London (06Oct04, 12:54 GMT, 431 words)


Star Alliance airline BMI has become the latest carrier to confirm its intent to snap up new route rights between the UK and India, unveiling plans to serve Mumbai and Bangalore from London Heathrow.

BMI is looking to fulfil its long-term ambition to operate long-haul services from Heathrow, offering a daily Mumbai service and six weekly flights to Bangalore from March 2005.

BMI chairman Michael Bishop says: “We are ready, willing and able to provide these extra services and with it vigorous new competition - and we would expect to receive a fair disposition of all the available frequencies.”

It joins the fray with British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic Airways for the 21 extra flights per week, which were recently brokered between UK and Indian authorities. BMI has confirmed its plans to the UK Department for Transport (DfT), which is now expected to call the CAA to hold a scarce capacity hearing.

BMI legal director Tim Bye says: “I think it will be done reasonably quickly as the department knows the there is more demand from UK airlines than capacity. I’m sure [the CAA] will be under pressure to do it quickly.”

A portion of the new rights come into effect this winter, but BMI says it is not able to move quickly enough to establish services within this timeframe.

BMI’s long-haul network currently comprises three transatlantic services from Manchester, as its Heathrow-originating transatlantic long-haul ambitions continue to be thwarted by a lack of substantive progress in EU-US open skies negotiations.

The airline, which operates a fleet of three Airbus A330s on its intercontinental flights, will have to add a further two long-haul aircraft to perform the services.

Bye says: “I think that it is clear that it is not optimal to have a two [long-haul] aircraft operation at London Heathrow in the long-term. If we get into Heathrow then it is clear that in the long-run we would intend to operate more aircraft from there. It is not an optimal scale for a long-haul operation.”

A BMI spokeswoman says: “Aircraft won’t be a problem. Ultimately we’re going to wait until the routes have been allocated. We’ll have no problems acquiring the aircraft, but it won’t be part of the current fleet – the A330s are allocated.”

But Tim Bye adds: “We’re not going to fall into the trap of acquiring aircraft before we have the ability to fly.”

He says that it makes sense to have “some aircraft at Manchester, but the bulk at Heathrow”, and notes that if successful the London Heathrow operation would be “inevitably bigger than Manchester”.


Source: Air Transport Intelligence news

hasell

Monarch operated a weekly 757 charter from Nottingham East Midlands to Amritsar last winter. By all accounts it was very popular and they were planning to offer similar flights this winter. Not sure if it has come to fruition though.

Like they did with the 3 A330s they ordered for U.S. services from Heathrow a few years back :rolleyes:

ES ;)

This is simply yet another bid by bmi to get it's foot through the door to longhaul LHR. It knows full well that it owes it's existence to having the second largest allocation of unfair privilege (slots) at LHR and it wants to grab more.

Which makes the following statement somewhat hypocritical, does'nt it?
Maybe Air Europe, Laker, British Caledonian, Dan Air etc would still be around if they had received a "fair disposition of all the available frequencies".

BMI staff at MAnchester this morning tiold me that they have been advised by management that it is most likely that the India flights will operate from Manchester starting next summer, and that the LHR story is just a ploy to get the government's attention.

That certainly seems most plausible.

The only thing that's clear is that there's not enough room at in the inn for everyone. I'm not sure how many of the new slots BA want, but Virgin want at least 14 for this winter and bmi want 13 from March 2005. As far as I'm aware, there are only 21 available, which are to be released 7 at a time - 7 this winter, 7 next summer, 7 next winter.

Anyway, does anyone really think that the government will hand them out fairly? :rolleyes: I don't think things will go as low as "back-handers" and masonic handshakes, but I suspect that the lion's share would go to whoever is more pally with "the powers that be" - something that Sir RB is very good at. After bmi's continual fist-thumping about not getting LHR-US routes, they might have lost their popularity with the government, particularly as the Chairman is a card-carrying Conservative!

Oops - better stop now. Getting all political. ;)

"Particularly as the chairman is a card-carrying conservative"
/
That 's ok then, cos so's Tony Blair !!!
;)

maybe Sir Michael can always threaten to pull services from Heathrow to Teesside (sorry - Durham Tees Valley) - Blairs region - if he doesn't get any rights!!!!!!!!!!

but of course that type of thing wouldn't even be thought about......!!!!:hmm:

Is it just me or is bmi concentrating on expanding long-haul services recently? They only appear to be 'tinkering' with their domestic/short-haul services by adding and dropping a few routes here and there. Is this there business strategy - expand long-haul operations and develop feeder services in the domestic/European market??

From e-tid.com (which answers my earlier question about the procedure to be followed now to allocate the rights...):

Reading that, and especially the bit about Air India only using 11 of its 40, makes me think that bmi (or indeed Virgin, if they don't get the frequencies they want) would be better off getting into a JV with an Indian carrier to use Indian rights (ie Indian carrier has 51% control, but wet-leases a bmi aircraft, for example)...that's if any other Indian carrier other than Air India and Indian Airlines is allowed to fly internationally in the first place...

Sounds plausible but is the allure of LHR slots not blinding bmi to the potential STAR hub they can build at MAN.

I am a keen MAN advocate, and i feel that they just isn't enough public awareness to bmi's and MAN's services. A little more effort on publicity and bmi and STAR could really boom in these difficult times.

This rumor has been doing the rounds for some time as has the 340 rumor, as has a MANLAX rumor. Will we finally see some movement on this?
:confused:

The india routes will be great money spinners for bmi, just think of all that excess baggage :mad: they could buy a new aircraft on that alone :E

Glad to hear of the hopefull competition, you try booking a scheduled flight from the UK to India as I tried to a few months ago.

At the time Air India wanted £1500 return , Lufthanansa was even higher, ended up booking a 2 week holiday to goa for £460 and a connection flight from Jet Airways to Calacutta. So a business trip I expected to last a week will now two, its a hard life, aint it!

So, they get another 330, possibly a 340 as well to run the India schedule ex-LHR...

a) Where did the money for a Fair Play Pay Rise go...???

b) Who will crew the new aeroplanes - Oxo's? The 330 FOs are turning red as fast as they can!!

The Mass Exodus has just started.......for real.

'Bye, Mr Bye

Have been told the decision about who gets what is taken tomorrow on the 12th but not sure when it will be announced. Rumour is it will be A340's for bmi out of Heathrow. How many depending on routes/frequencies etc.

I feckin love curry!

The Count

Any news on who got the routes to India?