96-837: British Midland Airways Limited (trading at various times throughout its history as British Midland , bmi British Midland , bmi or British Midland International ) was an airline in the United Kingdom with its head office in Donington Hall in Castle Donington , close to East Midlands Airport , England. The airline flew to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America and Central Asia from its main hub at London Heathrow Airport , where at its peak it held about 13% of all takeoff and landing slots and operated over 2,000 flights
192-602: A Communist regime in Hungary , became a refugee camp for those who came to the East Midlands. A letter to The Daily Telegraph from the Gillies Shields and Joyce Pearce thanked all those who were providing clothing, books and toys for the children, promising that once the immediate crisis was over, it was their intention to turn Donington Hall into "a home and school for children of all nationalities who now live without hope in
288-490: A BMI credit card, who earn points from their spend which can be converted to Avios, the currency of BA's FFP, Executive Club, on a 1:1 ratio. All other members were required to transfer to British Airways' Executive Club FFP. British Midland Airways Limited continues to exist as a company, registered at British Airways' head office at Waterside in Harmondsworth , as of August 2017. Donington Hall Donington Hall
384-539: A British Airways franchise partner, and as a result gained access to new markets in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia that were served by that carrier. As a condition of the sale, BMI sold BMED's Heathrow slots to British Airways for £30 million. BMED was fully integrated into BMI on 28 October 2007. The decision by the European Commission (EC) in 2008 to accord secondary slot trading by European airlines –
480-436: A contract to buy BMI from Lufthansa for £172.5 million. This would increase IAG's share of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow from 45% to 53%. Branson pledged to fight the deal, urging European competition authorities to intervene. The deal included the option for Lufthansa to sell BMI Regional and Bmibaby separately, as they are not required by IAG; the deal price would be lowered should Bmibaby not be sold in time. Under
576-445: A converted former military transport. International services to Ostend commenced in 1956, and flights carrying holidaymakers from the UK to mainland Europe began as well. The company was also contracted by Rolls-Royce to transport aero engines to customers all over the world. In 1959, Derby Aviation formed Derby Airways as its airline business and introduced a new livery incorporating
672-526: A distance of less than 500 yards (460 m) and had an initial rate of climb of over 1,800 ft/min. At first, it seemed that Handley Page had made the right choices with the HPR.3, which was named "Herald" in August 1954, this being a name easily translatable into French and Spanish. Extensive work by the sales team had produced considerable interest from potential customers, and Handley Page had 29 orders for
768-501: A drop in passengers carried and load factor for BMI mainline and regional services (excluding Bmibaby) whilst reporting increased loads for other AEA members over the same period. BMI operated a service to Mumbai from London Heathrow between May 2005 and October 2006, after the UK and India amended their bilateral air services agreement . Services to Riyadh followed, commencing on 1 September 2005, after British Airways ceased to serve Saudi Arabia earlier that year. BMI also launched
864-477: A free bar service on both Heathrow–Glasgow and Heathrow–Edinburgh from September 1983. (BA subsequently extended Super Shuttle to Heathrow–Belfast as well following the launch of BMA's competing service in 1984, in turn resulting in BMA abandoning Gatwick–Belfast which was taken over by Dan-Air .) Also in 1982, BMA, together with British & Commonwealth (the owners of AirUK at the time), formed Manx Airlines , and
960-676: A leased Series 100 on 16 May 1961, receiving the first of its own Series 200s in January 1962, while BEA began Herald operations in March 1962. The Herald attracted much early interest around the world because of its astonishing short field performance and excellent flight characteristics, but Handley Page failed to close many of the deals, as the F-27 and the Avro 748 /HS.748 had become rival offerings, both of which proved significantly more popular. A key design feature of
1056-611: A merger with British Aircraft Corporation or Hawker Siddeley as part of the government's policy of consolidation of the British aircraft industry. As Hawker Siddeley offered less than half the valuation that Frederick Handley Page placed on the company, the merger did not occur, and the RAF's order went to the Avro 780, which became the Andover . The Herald Series 400 was a simpler tactical transport with
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#17328557501011152-480: A modern design with excellent flight and performance characteristics. However, the company made a serious misjudgement which was, in the end, to cost the company dearly, and like some other classic British aircraft of the time, the Herald missed its chance. After extensive consultation with DC-3 operators, it was decided to power the new airliner with piston engines , rather than turboprops , which were considered risky by
1248-546: A nearby building called Hastings House, previously BMI's call centre , while Donington Hall was an events venue. In 2016 Norton's chief executive Stuart Garner bought the neighbouring property to Donington Hall, the Priest House Hotel, which expanded his hospitality business. The combined properties are set in 80 acres (32 ha) of grounds, which are bordered by an ancient deer park and the River Trent . As of 2020,
1344-505: A powerful force in the aviation industry. BMI was believed to have initiated the talks after it began losing money following the 11 September 2001 attacks . A merger would have strengthened Virgin Atlantic's base at Heathrow, where BMI had hundreds of highly valued take-off and landing slots, to increase the competition with British Airways. The two airlines combined would have had 17% of Heathrow slots against British Airways' 43%. Worried about
1440-480: A result of having operated a Heathrow– Strasbourg scheduled service prior to this policy coming into effect on 1 April 1978, enabled BMA to compete directly with BA between Heathrow and Amsterdam from 29 June 1986. This resulted in BMA becoming the first private, independent airline to compete with then wholly government-owned BA on an international trunk route from Heathrow. The Diamond Club frequent flyer programme (FFP) launched on 1 October 1987, coinciding with
1536-627: A scheduled service to Moscow Domodedevo in co-operation with Transaero Airlines on 29 October 2006, which used a dedicated A320 aircraft (G-MIDO) with special seating for the service, including leather seats and a 40" seat pitch. In 2007 the airline launched non-stop services from its Heathrow hub to Cairo and Amman , raising the airline's profile in the Middle East significantly. BMI announced on 5 November 2008 that it would end all longhaul operations from Manchester Airport. The two Airbus A330 aircraft based there were moved to Heathrow. In February 2007, BMI bought British Mediterranean Airways (BMED),
1632-403: A significant number of the airline's premium bookings, BMI did not mean anything, and that these people preferred a name with the word "British" in it. Following increasing heavy losses that exceeded £100 million per year by 2012, BMI decided to stop offering business class on domestic flights and introduce a number of new, longer range international scheduled services from Heathrow to ensure
1728-700: A strengthened cabin floor and side loading doors that could be opened in flight for dropping of supplies or paratroops. Eight were built for the Royal Malaysian Air Force . By 1965, almost all sales momentum had been lost, and Handley Page proposed the Series 700, powered by 2,320 ehp (1,730 kW) Dart 532s, with increased fuel and weights and was capable of seating up to 60 passengers. The Brazilian airline VASP placed an order for ten Series 700s, with plans made for production in Brazil, while further orders for
1824-482: A week. BMI was a member of Star Alliance from 1 July 2000 until 20 April 2012. BMI was acquired from Lufthansa by International Airlines Group (IAG) on 20 April 2012, and was integrated into British Airways (BA) by 27 October 2012. BMI's subsidiaries Bmibaby and BMI Regional were also purchased, although IAG did not wish to retain either. BMI Regional was sold to Sector Aviation Holdings in May 2012 and operated under
1920-478: Is a country house set in parkland near Castle Donington village, North West Leicestershire . The Hall and Estate was purchased in April 2021 by MotorSport Vision , which also operates the neighbouring Donington Park racing circuit. The Hall had previously served as the headquarters for British Midland International until it was merged into British Airways in 2012, then was owned until 2020 by Stuart Garner ,
2016-439: Is a British turboprop passenger aircraft , designed in the 1950s as a DC-3 replacement, but only entering service in the 1960s by which time it faced stiff competition from Fokker ( F27 Friendship ) and Avro ( Avro/Hawker Siddeley HS748 ). Sales were disappointing, contributing in part to the demise of Handley Page in 1970. In the mid-1950s Handley Page developed a new fast short-range regional airliner , intended to replace
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#17328557501012112-608: The Donington Park circuit. The circuit at Donington Park was closed in 1939 due to World War II , when it was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence and was converted into a military vehicle depot and storage area. With the whole estate needing extensive renovations after the war, the family rented the estate out as farm land. They retained the Hall, which after the Soviet Army ensured
2208-590: The Herald and Viscount as these were more economical than contemporary jets on short, thin routes. The success of the airline's wet lease operation resulted in an increase in the number of Boeing 707s allocated to this activity, including the addition of several later model 707-320B and -320C aircraft from 1976. All of these were leased to other operators, with none operating for BMA on scheduled or charter services until 1981. On 1 November 1974, BMA began operating between London Gatwick and Belfast , where it replaced
2304-564: The Isle of Man and Glasgow . Annual passenger numbers topped 1 million for the first time in 1979. On 31 March 1980, British Midland replaced British Airways on the Leeds Bradford to London Heathrow route, initially operating with their remaining Viscount 800 aircraft. Within a year or two these were replaced by the DC9 15, and following the extension of the runway at Leeds Bradford, the DC9 32 became
2400-584: The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve . Harben had been approached by the Derby Corporation to run a new aerodrome under construction near Burnaston , which was planned to eventually become an airport. Sir Kingsley Wood , the Secretary of State for Air , officially opened the aerodrome as Derby Municipal Airport on 17 June 1939. Military flying training continued at the airport throughout
2496-554: The Vietnam War . On 1 September 1976, jets began gradually replacing the turboprop fleet on most of BMA's domestic and European services, when the airline's first Douglas DC-9 (a second-hand -15 leased from the manufacturer) replaced Viscounts on the Heathrow–Tesside route. In 1978, Minster Assets sought to sell the company. With the help of a Californian entrepreneur, Robert F. Beauchamp, Bishop raised £2.5 million to lead
2592-528: The management buy-out , and was appointed chairman as a result, afterwards stating "I had to borrow the money from an American citizen. Most venture capitalists want a return of 40% to make up for all their other failures and they want an exit strategy." That year, British Midland and British Airways agreed to swap some of their routes, resulting in BMA relinquishing its routes from Birmingham to Brussels and Frankfurt , and BA handing over its routes from Liverpool to London Heathrow, Belfast , Dublin, Jersey,
2688-535: The "flybmi" brand until it went into administration on 16 February 2019, whereas Bmibaby closed down in September 2012. British Midland Airways Limited held a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. The airline dates back to 1938, when Captain Roy Harben established Air Schools Limited as a school for training pilots of
2784-448: The 50% shareholding of Sir Michael Bishop to consolidate with the 30% share it already owned. The European antitrust body approved the takeover on 14 May 2009, allowing Lufthansa to become the majority stakeholder. Due to landing rights issues, the stake would be tentatively held by a Lufthansa-controlled but British-based company, LHBD Holding. Once new bilateral agreements were in place, Lufthansa would take direct control. In June 2009 it
2880-486: The 700 were placed by Swiss airline Globe Air and Taiwanese Far Eastern Air Transport , and production started on the new model. VASP cancelled its order, however, when it could not obtain financing from the Brazilian government, and Handley Page stopped work on the 700, scrapping six airframes on the production line. Production ended in 1968. Only 36 examples of the Series 200 production model were eventually built during
2976-652: The British Midland Training Centre in Stockley Close. That year, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), a shareholder in British Midland since 1987, sold half its stake to Lufthansa followed by British Midland joining Star Alliance (in 2000). Following research that had established that people in the UK tended to confuse British Midland with the Midland Bank or British Airways and that many outside
British Midland International - Misplaced Pages Continue
3072-471: The CAA's ruling enabled the airline to commence its first domestic trunk route from the UK's premier airport on 25 October 1982, when it launched six daily return flights between Heathrow and Glasgow operated with DC-9s . Although these flights were not as frequent as the competing hourly BA shuttle, BMA offered keener fares and a full in-flight service (compared with the no frills shuttle). Following BMA's success on
3168-711: The DC9s were phased out, the Boeing 737 200 became a regular on the Heathrow route, and later the 737 300, 400, and 500 were all operated prior to the arrival of the newly acquired Fokker 100, which again was supplemented on quieter rotations by the smaller Fokker 70. Eventually the Airbus A319 became the standard equipment to Heathrow, but busier rotations saw the larger A320 and occasional A321 too. At its peak, British Midland operated up to 6 flights each way to and from Heathrow from Leeds Bradford,
3264-563: The Friendship, which had entered service over six months previously, and to stimulate demand, Handley Page launched in 1960 a further improved version, the Series 200, which was lengthened by 42 in (107 cm), with corresponding increased weights, allowing up to 56 passengers to be carried, and attracted an order for six aircraft from Jersey Airlines . The second prototype was converted to Series 200 standard and first flew in that form on 8 April 1961. Jersey Airlines began operations with
3360-479: The Heathrow–Glasgow market after almost 30 years' continuous operation was blamed on a big rise in the fees BAA levied on domestic passengers at Heathrow, which had resulted in unsustainable losses of £1 million per month. BMI's last-ever commercial flight using a "BD"-prefixed flight number touched down at London Heathrow on 27 October 2012. It was operated by Airbus A321-231 G-MEDF. In September 2023,
3456-433: The Heathrow–Glasgow route, the airline began flying between Heathrow and Edinburgh (1983) and Heathrow and Belfast (1984). With the introduction of these services, BMA and BA were now in direct competition on the UK's three busiest domestic trunk routes. BMA's competitive pressure on BA resulted in the latter replacing its no frills shuttle service with an upgraded Super Shuttle that included a full breakfast , hot drinks and
3552-470: The Herald (from Queensland Airlines , Australian National Airways , and Lloyd Aéreo Colombiano ) by the time the first prototype made its maiden flight from Radlett on 25 August 1955, three months ahead of the first flight of the Friendship. Break-even was expected after the sale of 75 aircraft and Handley Page expected total sales of up to 300 Heralds, with first deliveries expected to British independent airline Air Kruise in 1958. By now, however,
3648-410: The Herald was the high-mounted wing, but with a noticeable dihedral. In addition, the Herald's vertical fin was covered with miniature airfoils, adding further to the Herald's excellent stability. Pilots reported that the Herald flew like a dream; very stable in the air, yet highly manoeuvrable even at slow speed. Ground handling was said to be the Herald's only vice due to an overlarge tailfin. While
3744-506: The IT and "affinity group" markets was taken to reverse heavy losses BMA had incurred on these charter operations due to its lack of scale and lack of vertical integration with a tour operator , which put it at a commercial disadvantage vis-à-vis the competition, as well as uneconomical charter rates as a result of overcapacity. This resulted in BMA concentrating on regional, short-haul scheduled services and ad hoc charters using turboprops such as
3840-465: The Jetstream forcing its closure. Continuing support for the remaining Heralds in service was maintained by the setting up of a new company, Dart Herald (Support) Ltd, partly owned by Scottish Aviation . The Herald's last ever passenger flight was operated by British Air Ferries in 1987 doing subcharters for Ryanair. The type remained in use as a freighter, but by 1999 the only one remaining in service
3936-619: The One-Elevens from service, two of which were swapped for three Handley Page Dart Heralds while the third was subsequently leased to Court Line . As the early-model, high-time second-hand 707s commanded a low resale value, the airline decided to keep these aircraft and lease them out to other airlines on a wet lease basis, beginning in November 1972 with a £3.3 million, two-year contract to operate Sudan Airways ' Blue Nile service between Khartoum and London. The decision to pull out of both
British Midland International - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-581: The Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engine had shown proven success in the Vickers Viscount . Queensland Airlines and Australian National Airways cancelled their orders for Heralds in favour of turboprop-powered Friendships, while the Lloyd Aéreo Colombiano contract was stopped due to currency problems and Air Kruise's interest was ended when it was taken over by British Aviation Services . Before
4128-481: The Series 200 was more commercially attractive, with no more Series 100 being ordered, sales were still slow. While the Herald was cheap compared to its major competitors, and in the 200 series had a roomy cabin, the Friendship could carry a larger payload and both the Friendship and the Avro 748 /HS.748 had better performance, resulting in superior long-term economics. By 1963, only 35 Heralds had been sold compared with over 240 Friendships. One hope of improving sales
4224-593: The UK after Jersey European Airways (which had pioneered business class on UK domestic routes in 1993) to offer a separate cabin for business travellers on domestic routes and the first to do so on domestic trunk routes from Heathrow. ABH became British Midland Plc in 1997, when it was de-merged as part of major corporate restructuring. Towards the end of the 1990s, British Midland switched its aircraft suppliers from Boeing and Fokker to Airbus and Embraer , selecting A319/320/321s and ERJ 135/145s to replace 737s and F70 / 100s . In July 1999, Bishop formally opened
4320-466: The UK could not relate to the term " Midland ", it launched a new corporate identity in 2001, rebranding the airline as BMI British Midland (subsequently shortened to BMI ). Aircraft received a new livery of royal blue, white and a fading Union flag on the tail, along with the new lower case BMI logotype. Also in 2001, BMI introduced the Airbus A330-200 , its first widebodied aircraft type, into
4416-520: The agreed contract, Lufthansa would continue to be responsible for the BMI pension scheme after the sale was completed, although following rejection by the pension regulator, it is now to enter the Pension Protection Fund . On 30 March 2012, the sale of BMI was approved, conditional on giving up control of 14 daily slots at London Heathrow. Twelve of these were required to change hands completely while
4512-542: The airline announced it would begin using the British Midland International name, whilst retaining the BMI logo and continuing to be known by those initials in the domestic market. The decision to revert to the old British Midland name and to spell out for the first time what the I in BMI was supposed to stand for was taken in response to research showing that for passengers based in the Middle East, who accounted for
4608-496: The airline had first operated the type. That year, British Midland also became the first to operate the British Aerospace (BAe) ATP for which it had been the launch customer . The BAe ATP was the airline's last turboprop type. In 1992, British Midland became the first airline to offer a vegetarian choice of in-flight meals on UK domestic flights and one of the first in Europe to do so on domestic services. The following year,
4704-415: The airline introduced Diamond EuroClass on its European routes, the first time it had offered a separate cabin for business travellers . Initially, Diamond EuroClass was competitively priced, with the highest fares being the same as rivals' published economy class fares. On 30 September 1996, British Midland began offering Diamond EuroClass on all its domestic routes, becoming the second airline in
4800-571: The airline's Heathrow debut. In 1970, BMA entered the jet age with the introduction of three new BAC One-Eleven 500s , followed by an ex- Pan Am Boeing 707-321 in 1971. The former had been intended to be primarily used on European inclusive tour (IT) charters while the latter was to be mainly used on transatlantic "affinity group" charters . Also in 1970, BMA became the first British airline independent from government-owned corporations to employ UK-based, non-White cabin crew. Following his appointment as managing director in 1972, Bishop withdrew
4896-433: The airline. Virgin Atlantic confirmed on 12 December 2011 that it had also made an offer for BMI and signed an agreement in late November to allow them to conduct due diligence on the airline. The bid amount of around £50 million was half that offered by IAG; Virgin hoped that a quick sale due to fewer potential regulatory issues would convince Lufthansa to sell to Virgin. On 22 December 2011, IAG confirmed it had entered
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#17328557501014992-473: The award of a licence to operate scheduled flights from Burnaston and Wolverhampton to Jersey . Flights in each direction were required to land at Elmdon Airport in Birmingham to allow passengers to clear customs. The first flight was made on 18 July 1953, using a Dragon Rapide. The following year, Wolverhampton Aviation was merged into Derby Aviation, and, in 1955, the company purchased its first Douglas DC-3 ,
5088-405: The carrying of freight, with the aircraft's high wing, nosewheel undercarriage and large doors at the front and rear of the cabin making the loading of cargo relatively simple. Large flaps were fitted to give good short takeoff and landing characteristics. It was designed to cruise at a speed of 224 mph (360 km/h), had a range of 1,640 mi (2,640 km), could land and take off in
5184-424: The company re-appeared on social media, on platforms Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) with the statement: " We're preparing to usher in a new era for the iconic bmi British Midland brand. We're building on 85 years of iconic British history, and we cannot wait to welcome you on board. For media enquiries, please contact us at media@jetbmi.co.uk" . As the company is using a new web domain and new social media handles,
5280-513: The complete takeover of BMI by Lufthansa, the airline announced a restructuring of its mainline and regional operations in an effort to suspend loss-making routes and adjust capacity. The measures included a fleet reduction of nine aircraft from the mainline fleet (two of which were operated by BMI Regional) and the suspension of routes from London Heathrow to Amsterdam, Brussels, Tel Aviv , Kyiv and Aleppo in 2010. Seasonal routes from London Heathrow to Palma and Venice were also discontinued. It
5376-564: The displaced persons camps in Germany; their parents were our allies, their sufferings caused through loyalty to our cause." In 1971, Tom Wheatcroft bought part of the estate, including the famous prewar racing circuit, from the Shields family for £100,000. In 1976, British Midland Airways purchased the hall from the Shields family to renovate and convert into their headquarters. British Midland Airways moved to Donington Hall in 1982. The airline
5472-411: The family's fortune. On his own early death in 1868, he left the hall in the failing care of his sister Edith Maud and her husband Charles Clifton, later Baron Donington and afterwards his two sons, the 2nd and 3rd Barons. In 1901 it was sold to Frederick Gratton, son of Lord Gratton of Stapleford Park. From 1902, Donington was the property of the Gillies Shields family. The hall was requisitioned at
5568-399: The final late-evening flight being operated on a smaller Embraer 145 Regional Jet. In 2009 the airline dropped the route, which they had operated unbroken for 29 years. In 1981, the CAA turned down BMA's application to fly between Heathrow, Glasgow and Edinburgh , but the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry upheld the airline's appeal against the CAA's ruling. The decision to overturn
5664-482: The first turboprop aircraft, a Handley Page Dart Herald . Minster Assets, a London-based investment and banking group, acquired the airline in 1968, and in 1969 promoted former Mercury ground handling manager Michael Bishop to become the company's general manager. From this point, Bishop drove the company forward, with domestic and European expansion continuing apace. As a first step, in November 1969, BMA took over Autair 's Heathrow – Teesside route, which marked
5760-477: The first fully liberalised bilateral air transport agreement in Europe between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in 1985, as well as a legal technicality exempting the airline from the "London [Air] Traffic Distribution Rules" (a government policy that sought to compel all airlines that were planning to operate an international scheduled service to or from Heathrow for the first time to use Gatwick instead) as
5856-616: The fleet to enable it to serve the United States and other long-haul destinations. Bilateral restrictions implemented in the 1977 Bermuda II agreement meant the airline could neither fly its own aircraft to the US from its main base at Heathrow nor sell tickets on codeshare flights operated by Star Alliance partner United Airlines from the airport, as had been planned. Instead, it launched flights from Manchester to Washington Dulles and Chicago O'Hare in May and June 2001 respectively. Initially,
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#17328557501015952-574: The fleet were named after diamonds, beginning with a DC-9 named The Tiffany Diamond , unveiled by Rosamond Monckton , the managing director of Tiffany's in London. The company slogan was Better for Business (2009–2010). In March 1987, Airlines of Britain Holdings (ABH) was formed to act as a holding company for British Midland Airways and British Midland Aviation Services. British Midland operated its final Viscount flight on 20 February 1988, 21 years after
6048-464: The following year it purchased a 75% stake in Glasgow-based regional airline Loganair from The Royal Bank of Scotland . In October 1984, the Boeing 707 fleet was withdrawn, having been used extensively on lease operations for other airlines across the world. In 1985, a new aircraft livery featuring a dark blue upper half and tail, with a light grey lower half separated by a thin, white stripe,
6144-508: The former owner and CEO of the Norton Motorcycle Company as the company's headquarters. Norton went into administration with rights to the name being sold in April 2020. The house was built from c 1790, for Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira (created Marquess of Hastings in 1816), in a Gothic form by William Wilkins. It passed in 1826 to the young George , a foxhunting addict who kept his own pack of hounds at
6240-637: The future identity of British Midland is unknown, and whether or not the "jet" phrase will be incorporated. The airline had its head office at Donington Hall in Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire , near Derby. The airline's head office was previously at 78 Buckingham Gate in the City of Westminster , London (until 1982). In 2011, BMI employed 527 staff at Donington Hall. In 2012, International Airlines Group announced that it may lay off up to 1,200 BMI employees, with proposed layoffs mainly from
6336-458: The hall in purpose-built kennels . George died an early death in 1844 at the age of 35 and was succeeded by his eldest son, 12-year-old Paulyn , who himself died in Ireland only six years later. Paulyn was succeeded in turn by his younger brother Lord Henry Weysford Charles Plantagenet Rawdon-Hastings, later 4th Marquess of Hastings and 9th Earl of Loudon . Harry was a profligate gambler and spent
6432-605: The hall was being marketed for sale as part of a wider package on behalf of the administrator of the failed Norton business. In April 2021, it was announced that MotorSport Vision had purchased the freehold of the Donington Hall Estate comprising Donington Hall itself, former office building Hastings House, the Lansdowne workshops building and 28 acres (11 ha) of grounds adjacent to the Donington Park race circuit. It
6528-616: The head office. BMI also operated a flight training centre in the Stockley Close Industrial Estate in West Drayton , London Borough of Hillingdon , near London Heathrow Airport. The centre opened in 1999 and BMI had a 50-year lease on the property running from 25 March 1999 to 24 March 2049. In 1999, SAS sold half of its 40% stake in British Midland to Lufthansa, which was seeking a stronger position at London Heathrow, following which British Midland joined Star Alliance. At
6624-533: The high wing of the Handley Page expected to give easier loading than the more expensive Avro. While short-field testing of the prototype Herald 200 at RAF Martlesham Heath in 1961 showed off the Herald's good handling and ability to operate from unprepared airstrips, other obstacles were more taxing. The Minister of Aviation , Peter Thorneycroft , refused to sign a contract for the HP.124 unless Handley Page would agree to
6720-418: The increased competition it would face if such a merger went ahead, British Airways considered the takeover of either BMI or Virgin Atlantic to stop the merger. British Airways concluded it would be easier to take over the financially weaker and less high-profile BMI. However, in 2004 talks of any merger of the three airlines ended. In late 2006, the airline again dismissed renewed speculation that Virgin Atlantic
6816-481: The introduction of an enhanced business class style, single-class Diamond Service featuring a full meal and free onboard drinks service for all passengers, regardless of the fare paid, as well as airport lounges at the airline's major UK destinations. These service enhancements helped increase British Midland's market share on the main London–Scotland and London–Northern Ireland trunk routes to 30%. All aircraft in
6912-426: The investment; announcing a new uprated version powered by the Rolls-Royce Dart. The revised aircraft, now designated the HPR.7 Dart Herald, was powered by 1,910 shp Dart 527 engines driving 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) variable pitch four-blade Dowty Rotol propellers, and the fuselage was lengthened by 20 in (51 cm), while other improvements included increased fuel capacity. The first prototype
7008-431: The most profitable use of its highly prized (and sought-after) slots at the severely capacity-constrained airport. This entailed aircraft downsizing (replacing Airbus mainline jets with Embraer regional jets ), frequency reductions and route cutbacks on the airline's loss-making short-haul routes from the airport, including axing its by then heavily loss-making Heathrow–Glasgow route from 27 March 2011. The decision to exit
7104-529: The new A330s operated both routes; however, the Washington service was subsequently downgraded to a narrowbody operation using a Boeing 757-200 leased from Icelandair before being axed in 2005. The airline carried 7.5 million passengers during 2002. By 2005, the total had risen to 10.1 million, the third highest of any UK airline. In early 2006, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) reported
7200-496: The new airline's name. Domestic scheduled flights within the United Kingdom began the same year. On 1 October 1964, after buying the Manchester Airport -based scheduled and charter airline Mercury Airlines, the company changed its name to British Midland Airways (BMA) and moved operations from Burnaston to the recently opened East Midlands Airport . The corporate colours of blue and white were adopted at that time, along with
7296-565: The older Douglas DC-3 , particularly in third-world countries. The design, originally known as the HPR.3 Herald, emanated from the drawing office at Handley Page (Reading) Limited—the former Miles Aircraft factory site, which had developed an earlier airliner design, the Miles Marathon . The Herald was an extensive re-development of the original concept of the Marathon, notable for its high mounted wing. Handley Page Reading succeeded in producing
7392-604: The practice of buying and selling take-off and landing slots at congested airports – legal recognition resulted in BMI valuing its Heathrow slot holding at £770 million. Its first-time inclusion in BMI's 2007 annual report also resulted in a huge boost to the airline's net asset value , which stood at only £12 million the year before. It can therefore be argued that the EC's decision to legalise this practice made BMI an attractive takeover target for other Heathrow-based airlines and helped it avert bankruptcy. In November 2009, following
7488-543: The preparation and maintenance of vehicles kept at the Donington Hall Motorhouse and used on the race circuit. The upgraded facility will benefit from a private, 1-mile-long (1.6 km) landscaped drive from the original gatehouse by the circuit and include access directly to the circuit. 52°50′15″N 1°22′38″W / 52.8376°N 1.3771°W / 52.8376; -1.3771 Handley Page Dart Herald The Handley Page HPR.7 Dart Herald
7584-531: The remaining two could continue be part of the airline's slot portfolio but needed to be leased out. The twelve slots eventually went to Virgin Atlantic, who subsequently used them to set up its UK domestic operation operating out of BMI's old domestic base at Heathrow Terminal 1. BMI's ownership transferred to IAG at 23:59 on 19 April 2012. The airline left Star Alliance, but membership benefits for both Star Alliance and BMI's Diamond Club continued until 31 May 2012. The Diamond Club FFP continues for members with
7680-400: The second prototype had been completed, Handley Page was faced with the fact that it had no orders for the Herald, and that the market had changed and wanted turboprops. There had already been a very substantial investment in the Herald project, such that the management held a meeting to discuss continuation. Handley Page decided to press ahead with the Herald project, in an effort to recover
7776-437: The service previously operated by British Caledonian . London–Belfast was BMA's first UK domestic trunk route and the first all-year round route it served in [indirect] competition with British Airways (BA). BMA's Gatwick debut also made it the only airline at the time to operate scheduled services from all five contemporary London airports – Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton , Southend and Stansted . In January 1975, an agreement
7872-448: The six years of production, together with four Series 100s and eight Series 400s. The 50th, and last, Herald (a series 200 for Israel's Arkia ) was flown and delivered in August 1968, after which Herald production ceased, allowing Handley Page's attention to be fully focused on the HP.137 Jetstream . Handley Page went into voluntary liquidation in August 1969, the spiralling cost of developing
7968-660: The small airlines at which the HPR.3 was aimed. Handley Page preferred a four-engined design, which led to the new 870 hp (650 kW) Alvis Leonides Major 14-cylinder radial engine , driving three-bladed propellers being chosen for the HPR.3. At almost the same time, the Dutch company Fokker made the opposite choice for its competitor for the same market, choosing to power the F27 Friendship with two Rolls-Royce Darts . The HPR.3 could carry up to 44 passengers in its pressurised cabin , which could be quickly converted to allow
8064-507: The standard equipment on the route supplemented by the 15 series and at weekends the occasional Viscount, Fokker F27 or BAE ATP turbo prop. In 1986 however, British Midland leased a BAC1-11 400 (G-WLAD) from Airways International Cymru , and this aircraft was mainly used on the Heathrow route in lieu of the usual DC9s which returned in 1987. In the following years, British Midland increased its operations from Leeds Bradford, and introduced other routes including Glasgow, Paris CDG and Brussels. When
8160-477: The start of World War I by the British government and turned into a prisoner of war camp. While interned at Donington Hall in 1915, the German naval pilot Gunther Plüschow made the only successful escape from Britain in either World War. In 1931, the then owner of the estate, Alderman John Gillies Shields J.P. agreed to allow Fred Craner use of the extensive roads on the land for motor racing, thus creating
8256-451: The time, British Midland chairman Sir Michael Bishop owned a 50% share of the company. Between 1999 and 2004, Lufthansa sought to sell some or all of its share in the airline. Virgin Atlantic hoped to buy the shares to then merge both airlines, as BMI was already Virgin's preferred feeder airline into Heathrow. Virgin argued that the merger would have brought together two airlines with combined ticket sales of more than £2 billion, forming
8352-675: The war. Air Schools Limited formed a parent company, Derby Aviation Limited, in 1946, and Harben died the following year of a heart attack. His wife remained the controlling shareholder of the business and asked E. W. Phillips, who had been involved in running the flying school with Captain Harben, to become the new managing director. The new parent company also incorporated Wolverhampton Aviation , based at Pendeford , which offered ad hoc charter and freight flights with de Havilland Dragon Rapides , as well as aircraft maintenance and brokerage. In 1953, Derby Aviation ceased flying training, following
8448-408: Was announced that Lufthansa would buy the remaining stake in the airline from Bishop for less than originally agreed upon. Lufthansa announced in September 2011 that it planned to sell BMI following continued losses. Virgin Atlantic were mooted to be considering an offer; but in early November British Airways' parent company, International Airlines Group, announced an agreement in principle to purchase
8544-633: Was confirmed as part of the announcement that the Grade II* listed Hall would be transformed into a 40-bedroom hotel, reflecting the historic association with the motor racing circuit. The hotel is planned to open in 2023. Hastings House, the former British Midland International office, will be converted into the Donington Hall Motorhouse, a new facility for housing supercars, classic road and racing cars and motorcycles. The Lansdowne workshops, totalling 18,000 square feet (1,700 m ), will be available to let for high-end motor engineering businesses which support
8640-601: Was converted to Dart Herald standard, making its maiden flight on 11 March 1958, with the first production aircraft flying on 30 October 1959. The initial Series 100 version of the Dart Herald was certified in April 1958. The basic price in 1960 was around £185,000. The first order for the Dart Herald was in June 1959 from British European Airways for a lease of three aircraft for use on its Scottish Highlands and Islands routes. The Herald, had by this time, lost its initial lead over
8736-444: Was introduced. At this time, BMA was branded simply British Midland , and a new logo featuring a stylised red BM crowned with a white diamond shape appeared on aircraft tailfins . This livery subsequently featured a darker blue upper half and tail, with a deep grey lower half separated by two thin stripes, very dark blue at the top and red at the bottom. However, the logo on the aircraft's fins remained unchanged. The conclusion of
8832-440: Was preparing to make a bid to acquire full control of BMI, despite Sir Richard Branson repeating in a radio interview that such a merger would be a logical business move. In June 2007, SAS announced that it would sell its 20% stake to improve its own group profits. The airline commented that it was in early discussions with Lufthansa as a potential buyer. In October 2008 Lufthansa announced it would be taking over BMI by purchasing
8928-724: Was reached for BMA to provide two Vickers Viscounts in Cyprus Airways livery to link Athens with Cyprus . A former WWII airfield at Larnaca was selected to serve the south of the island, following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. The first flights departed Larnaca on 10 February 1975. On 4 April 1975, the Daily Mail chartered a BMA Boeing 707 to assist the Project Vietnam Orphans and The Ockenden Venture charities in evacuating 150 orphaned children from Saigon during
9024-493: Was said that the restructuring could result in the loss of around 600 jobs – around 13% of the airline's workforce. On 12 January 2010, BMI announced that the number of daily flights between Dublin and London Heathrow would be reduced from 28 March from six to four due to the economic climate, which depressed consumer demand. This resulted in the closure of the Dublin base, which consisted of one plane and 33 cabin crew. In April 2010,
9120-420: Was subsequently rebranded as British Midland International, employing 800 workers at Donington Hall in 2007. In 2012, International Airlines Group announced it may lay off up to 1,200 BMI employees, with proposed layoffs mainly from the BMI head office at Donington Hall. In March 2013 the Norton Motorcycle Company bought Donington Hall from International Airlines Group. Norton produced hand-built bikes from
9216-402: Was to develop the Herald as a military transport. The Royal Air Force had a requirement for 45 tactical transports to replace piston-engined Vickers Valettas , and Handley Page began work in 1960 on the HP.124 to meet this need. This would have a new rear fuselage with a rear loading ramp under the raised tail. The HP.124 was considered favourite to beat Avro's 748 derivative, the Avro 780, with
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