Saturday, August 17, 2024
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Birmingham Airport is actively pursuing long-haul opportunities, focusing on expanding routes to key destinations across North America and Asia.
Birmingham Airport (BHX) is experiencing robust growth, with passenger numbers climbing to 11.4 million in 2023, reflecting a 19.6% rise compared to the previous year. Positioned in the Midlands region of England, BHX enjoys a prime location, serving a catchment area exceeding 10 million people within an hour’s travel. This reach is expected to grow further with the completion of HS2, which will reduce the travel time to central London to just 37 minutes by the end of the decade.
Currently, BHX offers connections to over 130 destinations, with major Low Cost and Leisure airlines like Ryanair, Jet2.com, TUI, and easyJet maintaining bases at the airport. Additionally, European full-service carriers such as KLM, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Air France, SAS, and others have a longstanding presence at BHX. The airport is also a key hub for long-haul carriers with routes to the east, including Qatar Airways, Emirates, Air India, and Saudia. With a goal to serve 18 million passengers by 2033, BHX is actively working to expand its route network, particularly to Asia and North America.
In March 2024, easyJet launched a new base at BHX, deploying three aircraft and offering 33 routes from the city. The airline plans to introduce new routes for winter 2024 to destinations such as Hurghada in Egypt, Rovaniemi in Finland, Prague in the Czech Republic, Marrakech in Morocco, Krakow in Poland, and Reykjavik in Iceland.
Jet2.com is preparing to launch routes to Jerez and Costa de la Luz for the summer 2025 schedule, following the addition of new routes this year to Tivat, Bergen, and Gdansk. SunExpress has expanded its services to Turkey, now offering 25 weekly flights from BHX to Antalya, Dalaman, and Izmir. Meanwhile, Ryanair, which increased its BHX fleet to seven aircraft this summer, has introduced new routes to Tirana, Paris, and Derry. Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus has also recently increased its flights to its Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen hub.
BHX was also chosen for the inaugural flight of Lufthansa City Airlines, further enhancing the popular Birmingham-Munich route.
As a member of Routes 360, the exclusive digital platform focused on route development, Birmingham Airport (BHX) has listed several route opportunities on its profile.
Unserved Routes:
- New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
- Greater Toronto Airports Authority (YYZ)
- Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK)
- Changi Airport Group (SIN)
Underserved Routes:
- Budapest Airport (BUD)
- Lisbon Airport (LIS)
- Copenhagen Airports A/S (CPH)
- Milan Airports – SEA (MXP)
- Athens International Airport (ATH)
