Flights boost to Birmingham Airport

BIRMINGHAM Airport has received positive news from one of its new operators, Icelandair. The company has announced it is to double the number it operates from the hub.

The airline will increase services between Birmingham and Reykjavik from two flights per week to four, starting in February 2016.
 
The new flights will operate each Tuesday and Saturday, in addition to the current Monday and Thursday services. The four flights will operate between February 1 and March 28 inclusive.
 
Paul Kehoe, chief executive at Birmingham Airport, said: “Icelandair launched their Birmingham – Reykjavik service in February and it has gone from strength to strength in that short time.

“It’s great to see the airline respond to passenger demand for this service by increasing the number of flights. Passengers are set to enjoy greater choice and flexibility, whether they want to stay in Reykjavik and explore all that it has to offer, or travel onwards to the USA and Canada, using Icelandair’s strong network of connecting flights.”
 
Expansion at Birmingham Airport has been announced alongside the airline’s decision to begin a scheduled service from Reykjavik (KEF) to Portland, Oregon on Tuesday May 19.
 
Portland will become Icelandair’s 14th gateway in North America. The new flights will operate twice weekly from Reykjavik to Portland, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and back from Portland to Reykjavik on Wednesdays and Fridays.
 
Andres Jonsson, General Manager of Icelandair UK, said: “We are delighted to increase our service to Birmingham and the West Midlands along with beginning flights to our newest gateway Portland. As for many of our North American destinations, flying Icelandair to Portland is the quickest and most convenient way to travel from Birmingham and our passengers can also opt to have an additional stopover in Iceland en-route for up to a week for no additional airfare to further extend their holiday experience.”

Another new carrier to Birmingham, Norwegian has reported an increase in first quarter profits – despite the business being hampered by industrial action by its pilots.

It said passenger growth outside Scandinavia was strong and its load factor (the number of passengers it carried) was six percentage points higher than the same period last year. Future bookings are looking good, particularly on long-haul routes, it added.

During the first quarter, Norwegian took delivery of two new Boeing 737-800s, in addition to one Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The company has also launched several new long-haul routes.

The airline saw an increase of 320,000 passengers in England and Spain during Q1 compared to the same quarter last year.

The airline is operating flights between Madrid and Birmingham each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, together with services to Malaga every Monday, Friday and Saturday. A third route to Barcelona is set to start on June 1.

http://businessdesk.s3.amazonaws.com/_files/banners/apr_15/businessdesk__1429606947_WMMastBanner1_4.15.gif

 

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close