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bmi
is expanding its route network, with the opening of sales to 17 new destinations, including Baku, Tehran, Beirut, Amman, Almaty and
Yerevan. The new routes, starting 28 October 2007, will operate from Heathrow’s Terminal 1 with an improved timetable for business
travellers and with a new enhanced in-flight product.
The move marks the completion of the integration of BA destinations that were operated by BMED under a franchise agreement. BMED was
purchased by bmi in February 2007.
The airline is
also to introduce major enhancements to its in-flight product. This includes improved
food and drinks service on all its mid-haul and long-haul routes, new amenity kits and kids’ packs, and in-flight entertainment offering up to
22 films, including the latest blockbuster movies. Up to nine TV channels will show programming exclusive to
bmi.
From mid-September, bmi will be introducing new lie-flat beds on services from Heathrow to Riyadh and to Jeddah, as well as to the
Caribbean and to the United States from Manchester.
At the same time the airline will launch an
enhanced premium economy product on services to the USA and to the Caribbean, providing
travellers with a genuine business class seat with a generous 49 inch seat
pitch in the premium economy cabin.
bmi
will also expand its mid-haul route network from next year, as the first of its additional aircraft are
delivered. The deliveries are part of a US$ 750 million aircraft acquisition programme announced earlier this year.
Nigel Turner, chief executive of bmi group,
said, “These new routes represent the single largest expansion of the bmi brand in the history of
the airline, and mark our continuing transition into a truly global airline.”
“Ten years ago, we had a network that was 100% short-haul domestic and European. From the end of October, more than half of our
destinations from Heathrow will be in the mid-haul and long-haul markets.”
“We have also identified a number of key destinations which we are eager to serve from Heathrow, including Kiev, Minsk, Kuwait City,
Lahore, Tel Aviv, Dammam and Sana'a as well as increasing flights from Heathrow to Moscow. We will be seeking a number of such
opportunities over the coming months.”
The full list of new routes being launched on 28 October includes Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Aleppo, Syria; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Amman,
Jordan; Ankara, Turkey; Baku, Azerbaijan; Beirut, Lebanon; Bishkek, Kyrgystan; Cairo, Egypt (4 November); Dakar, Senegal; Damascus,
Syria; Ekaterinburg, Russia; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Khartoum, Sudan; Tbilisi, Georgia; Tehran, Iran; Yerevan, Armenia. Services to Amman
and Beirut will be served by daily direct flights.
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