Bye bye (bmi)baby

Today is the final day of operations for bmibaby.
It was launched in 2002 by parent, bmi British Midland International, as a way to compete with the large number of low cost airlines springing up across Europe, and in particular easyJet and Ryanair. The low cost carrier, which operated flights using Boeing 737-300 and -500 aircraft, flew to a number of leisure and city destinations across Europe from its UK bases.

The airline’s fleet was sourced from bmi, who were replacing their older 737s with new Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Now, since the sale of bmi to IAG Group, and its incorporation into British Airways, along with the sale of bmi Regional to a group of Scottish investors, there’s no longer any hope for bmibaby which could not find a buyer.

I flew with bmibaby a number of times when they had a base at Durham Tees Valley Airport, and will miss their friendly colour scheme.