Bmi to terminate Manchester transtlantic flights

Bmi is stopping flights from Manchester to Chicago on January 14 and services to Las Vegas, Barbados and Antigua will terminate after Easter 2009.

The airline, which is currently being taken over by Lufthansa, said it has been operating long-haul services from Manchester since 2001, mainly because it was unable to serve the US from Heathrow.

“However, long-haul services from Manchester have never performed to the levels that we had hoped and we see little prospect of change or improvements in their performance,” it said.

The move means bmi’s two Manchester-based Airbus A330 wide-bodied aircraft can be transferred to Heathrow to be used on its Cairo and Amman routes from spring 2009.

Chief executive officer Nigel Turner said both destinations are performing well ahead of expectations in passenger numbers and revenue.

“However, there exists even further potential for the development and growth of these routes. It was always our intention to upgrade the aircraft operating some mid-haul services to a wide-bodied product and these routes in particular are ideally suited.

“We have every confidence that there will be significant benefits to be gained with the introduction of that upgrade.”

The move means business travellers will benefit from in-flight chefs and lie-flat beds, and economy passengers can also upgrade to premium economy.

Bmi is also doubling the number of flights from Heathrow to Riyadh from January 15 next year to provide a daily service except for Fridays.

By Bev Fearis