News

Monarch muscles in at East Mids Airport

9 May 2012

Monarch Airlines will launch a base at East Midlands Airport to take advantage of the gap left by Bmibaby, which is set to close in September.

Monarch is to launch flights to destinations across the Mediterranean, including Malaga, Alicante, Palma and Faro in Portugal, from late summer.

In addition, the airline will be expanding its operations from Birmingham Airport with more flights to Malaga, Alicante, Faro and Palma, plus a new route to Barcelona.

Consultation is underway on the future of Bmibaby, which could close in September as its owners have been unable to find a buyer.

Bmibaby transferred to International Airlines Group (IAG) as part of the purchase from Lufthansa in April, but is not part of IAG's "long-term plans".

The budget airline will now begin scaling down its operations, with flights from East Midlands Airport terminating on 11 June 2012.

Monarch managing director Kevin George said: "In light of recent industry changes, opportunities have opened up in the market. It has become clear that the Midlands will be underserved as a region in the future, and that there is a lack of quality carriers to serve customers travelling from the area.

"As an airline with more than 40 years heritage and a stronghold in the Midlands already, the expansion of our existing services from Birmingham and the launch of operations from East Midlands makes perfect sense for Monarch, and accelerates the strategy we announced last year to focus on the development of our scheduled operations into key leisure destinations across the Mediterranean, the Canaries and North Africa."

Source:www.insidermedia.com|

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