From humble beginnings over 70 years ago, the bmi group today operates almost 2,000 flights per week to a network of 69 airports in the UK and Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa.
bmi began life in 1938 as Air Schools Ltd, specialising in RAF pilot training. In 1949 the company became known as Derby Aviation, diversifying operations to include passenger and cargo charter services. In 1959 the company became known as Derby Airways, changing to British Midland Airways in 1964 when it moved to the newly opened East Midlands Airport in 1965.
British Midland Airways further expanded domestic and international passenger services including longhaul destinations throughout the 1970s. The company celebrated a landmark in 1979 when over one million passengers were carried for the first time in a single year.
bmi’s growth continued during the 1980s and passenger carryings were recorded at 1.8M. The company established its headquarters at Castle Donington near East Midlands Airport in 1982, and in 1986 the airline changed its name to British Midland. In 1989, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) purchased a 24.9% stake in the airline at a cost of £25M.
By the end of the 1990s British Midland enjoyed passenger carryings of over 6.5M a year. In 1992 Scandinavian Airlines increased its share to 40%. In 1993 it became the first European carrier to offer a separate Business Class cabin for business travellers and in 1995 it became the first airline to offer a booking service with payment over the internet. In 1999 Lufthansa acquired a 20% stake in British Midland from the 40% owned by Scandinavian Airlines.
British Midland joined Star Alliance on 1 July 2000. The turn of the century saw an expansion of routes and the beginning of long-haul operations to the USA, India and Saudi Arabia. The airline’s new global ambition was accompanied by a rebranding to bmi British Midland in 2001, subsequently shortened to bmi two years later. In 2002, bmibaby, a low-cost subsidiary with its own unique brand, was launched.
Following the acquisition of BMED in 2007, bmi enjoyed rapid expansion to 17 mid-haul destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The route network was strengthened further with the addition of more mid-haul destinations including the launch of services to Russia.
Since 1 July 2009 bmi has been a member of the Lufthansa group of airlines.