Why taking BMI flights from Glasgow to London is no longer an option

Why taking BMI flights from Glasgow to London is no longer an option

BMI or British Midland Airways Limited is an airline based at Donington Hall in Castle Donington in England which is in close proximity to the East Midlands Airport. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and flies to all kinds of destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. It has an operational base at London Heathrow Airport where it operates over 2,000 flights a week and takes up 11% of all take off and landing slots each and every week. British Midland Airways Limited holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence and is permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with twenty or more seats.

In January 2007, the airline bought British Mediterranean Airways which meant it was able to fly to a much wider range of mid-haul destinations.

In October 2008, the majority shareholder Lufthansa announced that it was buying a further share of BMI for around 318 million Euros which gave it an 80% shareholding. The merger was agreed by the European Commission in May 2009.

In June 2009, Lufthansa took full control of the airline and in November 2009 the airline announced a restructuring exercise, suspending seven routes from 2010 and reducing the fleet by nine aircraft.

At Glasgow Airport, BMI Glasgow flights to London fly from the Central Pier, which handles all domestic flights in and out of Glasgow. Together with British Airways they handled 1,079,079 passengers in 2009 on Glasgow to London flights to London Heathrow Airport which is almost double the next busiest route out of Glasgow Airport. Presently BMI's Glasgow to London flights only fly to London Heathrow Airport and do not fly to London Gatwick Airport, London Luton Airport, or London Stansted Airport.

However, from April 2011, BMI Glasgow toLondonflights were suspended with BMI blaming a forthcoming increase in BAA passenger charges at London Heathrow Airport for making the loss-making route unsustainable'.

The airline which employs 138 staff at Glasgow airport said a number were now at risk of redundancy, although it said it was committed to Scotland' and would continue to focus on Edinburgh and Aberdeen as well as Belfast City airport which is in Northern Ireland.

The decision means that from April, British Airways will be the only airline making Glasgow flights to London which prompted Scottish politicians and business leaders that the move would lead to higher prices and damage the economy. So BMI Glasgow flights to London will unfortunately be a thing of the past from April 2011.

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