Birmingham boost from Monarch
Monarch Scheduled is adding three new routes to Spain from Birmingham next summer.
Murcia (four times a week), Menorca (three times a week) and Palma (once a week) are being introduced and frequencies added on other routes. Fares to the new destinations start at £39.99 one-way including taxes (£74.99 return).
Capacity is increased to Malaga with five extra flights a week and a daily service to Faro, up from one flight a week. Daily flights to Tenerife and four flights a week to Alicante will be maintained next summer.
The expansion represents a year-on-year capacity increase of 104% – there will be 200,000 more seats on sale for next summer than there were for summer 2005.
The airline is to double its fleet by basing an additional Airbus A321 in Birmingham, creating 60 new jobs at the airport.
Launched as a new base in April 2005 serving four destinations, Monarch Scheduled claims to have carried more than 160,000 passengers to and from the Midlands airport.
Managing director Tim Jeans said: “We launched our base with confidence earlier this year and our record-breaking summer is testimony to the fact that we were right about there being a strong market for low fares and high quality service in the Midlands.
“We have received the wholehearted support of the airport which has introduced a range of initiatives to ensure that costs are competitive with any other airport in the region.”
Birmingham airport business development director Peter Vella said: “This is further confirmation that both full fare and low cost airlines are continuing to recognise the huge benefits of operating from Birmingham thanks to our first class facilities.”
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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