No-frills airline bmibaby is to launch two new routes from Birmingham International Airport next summer.

The airline will begin services to Milan (Bergamo) and Madrid. It is also planning to increase the number of summer flights to Krakow, a service which will get off the ground on February 12.

The carrier has also brought back the popular routes of Bordeaux, Marseille Provence and Barcelona for next summer and will ramp up the frequencies on popular Mediterranean routes during the peak months.

It will fly to a total of 23 destinations from Birmingham and operate 358 flights per week to and from the airport during the high season.

Yesterday, it said that more new routes will be announced shortly.

The new service to Milan, currently unserved from the airport, will start on May 31. It will operate three times a week on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The introduction of the new six times a week service to Madrid will operate on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Bmibaby says it will be the only airline flying to the vibrant Spanish capital city from the West Midlands.

Flights to Krakow will increase from the two flights a week planned for the winter months, to three times a week for the summer, operating from Birmingham on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

David Hodge, commercial director, bmibaby, said: "We are significantly expanding our services from Birmingham International Airport with the launch of more new routes for next summer to Milan (Bergamo), Krakow and Madrid. These routes are currently unserved from Birmingham, thus increasing the range of destinations for the people of the West Midlands.

"Due to demand we are also bringing back the popular routes of Bordeaux, Marseille Provence and Barcelona. Plus we are ramping up the number of weekly flights to some of our most popular Mediterranean destinations with services to Malaga increasing to twelve flights per week, Alicante to eight flights a week, Murcia to six flights a week and to Faro five flights a week during the peak season."

He added: "We will be announcing even more new routes from Birmingham very soon, further demonstrating our commitment to the Midlands region."