bmibaby, the low-cost carrier, has uncovered its plans to increase the size of its operations at Manchester Airport to double; increasing the number of flights and adding new destinations over the period of next few years. This is truly welcome news for passengers of bmibaby, as they will be able to enjoy more flights from Manchester Airport to various destinations in Europe.

The budget airline's expansion plans are part of a major investment programme that will also create more than hundred new jobs.

At present, the carrier, which celebrates five years of operating services from Manchester this month, operates its services to a total of fifteen cities across Europe with a fleet of 4 aircrafts based at the airport.

However, it is also planning to introduce new routes across France, Spain and Italy, as well as eastern European destinations such as Warsaw and Krakow.

bmibaby's managing director, Crawford Rix, shrugged off worries of a customer slump and the fall of pound against the euro to give an increase of six per cent in passenger numbers in the month of April against the numbers in the same month a year ago.

He said that the competition against no-frills airline companies such as Monarch and easyJet would bring an increased demand from Manchester.

"There is plenty of room for expansion. Manchester Airport is working extremely well for us, and we have a great deal of confidence in the market", Mr. Rix said.