From Birmingham International the airline will introduce new flights to Malaga, Alicante and Murcia in Spain and Faro in Portugal. This will bring the total of flights from Birmingham to Malaga to 12 a week, to Alicante to 10 a week and to Murcia 
and Faro to seven a week each.
The new flights from East Midlands airport will go to Almeria on the Spanish mainland and Mahon on the Balearic island of Menorca. The number of flights to both destinations will be increased to four a week. Manchester airport gets a new bmibaby flight to Palma in Majorca, bringing the total number of flights to the city to seven a week.
“We are seeing strong demand from passengers for flights to typical summer sun destinations,“ comments bmibaby managing director Crawford Rix.
Alicante in the Costa Blanca is already one of the most popular holiday destinations from Birmingham airport. Scheduled flights to the Spanish city from Birmingham grew by 59.3% in January.
Flights to Malaga from Birmingham also grew in popularity last month, up by 40.1%. In total during January Birmingham airport handled 561,648 travellers through its two terminals, including 469,412 scheduled passengers and 92,236 charter passengers.
“During 2008 Birmingham airport enjoyed its busiest ever year, including a number of record months, and all this despite increasingly challenging economic conditions. The rolling 12-month figures up to the end of January show an increase of 4.2% year-on-year, and the Midlands continues to show great confidence in its local airport,” says Birmingham airport CEO, Paul Kehoe.
“All the indications are that we are in for a challenging period ahead, with the airport not immune to the current pressures affecting the UK economy. However, with a growing portfolio of carriers and routes from Birmingham, and with a final decision regarding our proposed runway extension due in the coming weeks, there is still a lot to look forward to at Birmingham,” Kehoe adds.