New routes to the sunshine from Birmingham Airport
Hundreds of flights a week will be taking off from Birmingham this summer carrying hundreds of thousands of Midlanders heading for the sun as a string of airlines unveiled their new schedules today.
A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport said: "We're getting ready for yet another busy summer at the airport this year, following a number of exciting new route announcements – bmi regional will be introducing new services to Gothenburg, Toulouse, Lyon and Billund, in addition to Monarch launching new routes to Gibraltar, Bordeaux and Split from Birmingham.
"These new route announcements will supplement other popular destinations we already serve, including Istanbul and Dubai, which offer passengers onward connectivity to the Far East and Australia.
"Many airlines will be kicking off their summer schedule from Birmingham this week, such as Flybe and Ryanair, so passengers in the region can enjoy even greater choice from their local airport. With work on our runway extension well under way, and our new air traffic control tower near completion, this is an exciting time for the airport."
The runway extension will open the airport up to long-distance aircraft offering direct flights to the West Coast of America and the Far East when it is opened, in early 2014.
Last year the airport handled almost 8.6 million passengers, benefiting from a dismal British summer that drove holidaymakers to seek their sun abroad. Airport bosses and airline operators will be hoping the prolonged snowy weather this winter will do them a similar favour, prompting families to book holidays overseas.
Flybe – the biggest airline operating out of Birmingham – says its summer schedule from Birmingham will offer up to 632 flights a week this summer on 22 routes. As well as a new service to Lyon, Flybe will be offering the first summer of its service to Amsterdam, launched this winter, and the return of flights to Avignon, Bergerac, La Rochelle and Perpignan in France.
Tickets are on sale from £29.99 one-way including taxes and charges, and Flybe UK's managing director Andrew Strong said: "We're delighted to expand our services this summer for West Midlands travellers."
Meanwhile, Ryanair is also gearing up for the summer at Birmingham. Airline spokeswoman Maria Macken said: "Ryanair is delighted to celebrate the launch of its summer 2013 schedule at Birmingham, giving passengers in the West Midlands a choice of 29 top destinations this summer including the return of popular sunshine routes to Ibiza, Trieste and Montpellier."
