Birmingham Airport has received a boost with the news Monarch Airlines is to launch five new routes.
The airline will also have two additional aircraft based at the airport.
The new routes will see flights to Rome, Dubrovnik, Milan, Venice and Heraklion from summer 2012, taking the airline’s total number of routes to 29.
Monarch’s growth in operations also includes the addition of a further two Airbus A320 aircraft to its fleet at Birmingham from March next year, increasing the number based at the airport to six.
The new routes will see a further 151,000 seats available and the move is expected to create 200 additional jobs.
Managing director of Monarch Airlines, Kevin George said, “The strategy for Monarch Airlines is now firmly focused on its scheduled operations and we are delighted to be adding these new routes to our already extensive network of leisure destinations across Europe from Birmingham.
“Since launching scheduled services from Birmingham in summer 2005, Monarch’s operation has continued to grow from strength to strength and we have expanded our operations based on customer demand.
“We are all very excited to be adding two additional aircraft to our Birmingham fleet and introducing our first flights to Italy and Croatia, which is fantastic news for our customers in the Midlands and cements Birmingham as one of Monarch’s key UK airports.”
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s CEO, said “We are delighted with Monarch’s announcement regarding growth at Birmingham. The increase in the choice of routes served by Monarch underpins the confidence the airline has in the future growth of our region. In a difficult market it is encouraging to see this expansion also supporting the creation of up to 200 jobs.
“With the airport’s considerable investment in facilities and with plans to commit £100m over the next 10 years, the industry is clearly impressed with the work we are doing.
“We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the airline and we look forward to working further with Monarch and building on our successful partnership with them to promote and launch their new routes.”
