bmibaby to cease flights to Cardiff Airport

discount airline bmibaby will cease flights to Cardiff Airport from the end of the summer 2011 flying schedule.

The airline, which is also withdrawing from Manchester, started operating out of Cardiff in winter 2002.The firm, which employs 69 at Cardiff, blamed the economic climate, saying it would focus on airports with strong growth opportunities.

It started with 12 destinations and more than 100 flights a week to UK and European destinations from the city, having first launched at East Midlands airport earlier that year. bmibaby currently operates nine routes from Cardiff - to Geneva, Faro, Belfast City, Malaga, Murcia, Alicante, Ibiza, Palma and Mahon.
The company said it would transfer two Boeing 737 aircraft currently based at Cardiff, and two more based at Manchester, to Belfast, Birmingham and East Midlands airports. Cabin crew and pilots based at Cardiff and Manchester would be offered the chance to redeploy to the Midlands.
The airline has announced seven new routes from George Best Belfast City Airport. A year-round service to Amsterdam will also operate from October 2011, along with winter flights to Geneva for 2011.
"The sun and the sand is still available - there aren't many routes that weren't covered by somebody other than bmibaby so it's not as if there's going to be an inability to get somewhere."
The airport said last month had seen the start of the Helvetic Airways 4 weekly service to Zurich achieved through a joint partnership approach. It said it looked forward to working with other airlines and other partners "to facilitate increased opportunities going forward".