Aerospace firms set to benefit from flights boost at Birmingham Airport
BIRMINGHAM Airport has secured a boost to its short haul services with the launch of new flights from its largest airline.
Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has introduced a series of new flights as part of its 2016-17 Winter schedule.
The schedule sees the airline operate up to 375 flights a week from its Birmingham hub across 23 routes.
New services include daily flights to Toulouse and a weekly Saturday ski service to Geneva. An additional four routes will operate for the first time this winter – to Knock, Luxembourg, Nantes and Rotterdam. Flights will operate through to March 25 next year.
The inaugural flight to Toulouse was marked by a celebration with passengers being offered a piece of a special cake featuring the heraldry of both cities.
The destination is a key one for regional businesses involved in the aerospace sector due to Toulouse being the base of Airbus on the continent. It is home to many of the supply companies that serve the manufacturer as well as a raft of technology companies.
The airport is hopeful the flights may also prove popular for city breaks as Toulouse is one of France’s most historic cities, with its distinctive medieval architecture and unique pink terracotta buildings.
Vincent Hodder, Flybe Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We have expanded our winter schedule this year from Birmingham not only with new leisure and business routes but also by adding frequency to accommodate the needs of our business customers.”
Flybe’s expanded schedule includes increased flights to Edinburgh (up to seven a day) and to Amsterdam (up to six a day).
Flights to Geneva start on December 17 from where there are onward connections to many of the most popular ski resorts in Switzerland, France and Italy.
William Pearson, Aviation Director at Birmingham Airport, said: “It is excellent news that Flybe will be increasing its selection of routes this winter for our passengers. Toulouse is one of France’s great cultural and commercial centres with a strong medieval heritage. Geneva is a commercial hub as well as being a fantastic gateway to many world class ski resorts.
“We are sure both of these routes will prove popular with our passengers looking for city breaks and fantastic Christmas markets, ski and snowboard holidays or for business trips.”
