Bmibaby suspends five routes

Bmibaby will suspend five of its 21 routes from Birmingham International Airport next summer, in response to a lack of demand.

The low-budget airline will put on hold routes to Rome, Milan, Lisbon, Madrid and Bordeaux between March 29 and October 24 from the sixth busiest airport in the UK.

The carrier, which is part of the bmi group, will offer customers who have already booked flights on the suspended services a full refund or a transfer to another destination.

A Bmibaby spokesman blamed the economic downturn and a subsequent weakening of consumer demand. He said: "Travellers are now booking to fly to typical sun destinations for their annual holiday, rather than flying to the more impulsive short-break city destinations."

In 2007, Birmingham airport handled more than nine million passengers and offered flights to a number of European and international destinations.

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