News: Bmi increases fleet in preparation for transatlantic expansion
Flights > News > # 1356 (11/07/2007)
Bmi is more than doubling its fleet of long-haul aircraft as it prepares to launch its first services between London and the US.
The move into the lucrative transatlantic market from Heathrow will start in next spring, as Bmi takes advantage of the “open skies” agreement that was signed between the US and European Union (EU) earlier this year. The deal will allow European airlines for the first time to run transatlantic flights to any American city from any EU country, and not just their home country. In return, American carriers will have free access to European airports.
BMI will add five more Airbus A330 aircraft to its existing fleet of three A330-200s, with the first due for delivery early next year. The airline currently operates long-haul services from Manchester to Chicago and Las Vegas, from Manchester to Barbados and Antigua and from Heathrow to Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Bmi said it was also maintaining the orders for five new Airbus A321s, which it inherited earlier this year through its takeover of British Airways franchise BMed.
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The prospect Bmi offering flights from Heathrow to New York is unlikely to make that much difference to the price-conscious leisure traveller, as there are already plenty of cheap flights to New York from the existing airlines, but Bmi's heart is clearly set on lucrative business passengers, who it still thinks are paying well over the odds for their flights. Even with the introduction of competition from business-only specialists Silverjet (Luton), Eos and Maxjet (both Stansted); the prices of business class flights from Heathrow to New York are considerably higher than they are from other major European hubs such as Frankfurt or Paris. Bmi clearly sees the potential to offer both good value and a high standard of service on this route, whilst giving passengers this choice without having to venture out to either Stansted or Luton.
If Bmi also start flights to Chicago, then this will see even more competition on a route which has only just welcomed Virgin Atlantic this summer.
