New blow for Birmingham as Norwegian scraps all flights from the city to Spain

Hugh Morris
Updated
The sun has set on Norwegian's flights to Malaga from Birmingham - Marius Roman
The sun has set on Norwegian's flights to Malaga from Birmingham - Marius Roman

Norwegian has become the latest airline to pull flights from Birmingham after it announced it would cease all services from the city to Spain.

The low-cost carrier said its last flights to Malaga, Tenerife and Barcelona would take place this weekend as it reviews its services in the UK.

“A natural part of our UK development will see some reductions in routes with lower passenger demand, allowing us to focus instead on providing affordable flights on strong performing routes,” a spokesperson for Norwegian said.

Norwegian is not the only carrier to ends its relationship with Birmingham International, the seventh busiest airport in the UK.

In July, United Airlines announced it was axeing the only scheduled service from Birmingham to the US after poor ticket sales. Six months earlier, in January, American Airlines dropped its Birmingham to New York route after just one year. Emirates, too, has announced it is reducing the frequency of its service to Dubai, from three flights a day to two.

Flights from Birmingham to New York and Dubai have also been scrapped this year
Flights from Birmingham to New York and Dubai have also been scrapped this year

Other routes set to end include Wizz Air’s flights to Sofia, Vueling's to Paris Orly, and Flybe to Toulouse.

However, there is some consolation for the Midlands airport, which welcomes some 11.6 million passengers a year, – new budget carrier Primera Air recently launched a route from Birmingham to New York, and this week added Toronto.

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A spokesperson for Birmingham International said: “We’re disappointed that Norwegian will cease flights this winter. All routes, that were served by the airline, are operated by other carriers from Birmingham Airport. 

 

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“This summer we saw a significant uplift in capacity to Spain, with a number of carriers competing on the same routes from Birmingham, so it’s not unusual to see airlines withdrawing services in this scenario.”    

The airport sees no reason for concern. It registered the eighth largest growth rate of any UK airport in 2016, with a 14.3 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of passengers flown.

Travellers in the region keen to reach Spain can still fly there from Birmingham with Ryanair, Jet2 and TUI.

Norwegian's move may come as a surprise as the airline continues to establish a firmer foothold in the UK's short-haul market. It is currently best known for its headline-grabbing fares to a number of US cities, as well as Singapore and Buenos Aires.