Air France and BMI to expand cargo services

AIR FRANCE and BMI turned up the heat on Aer Lingus yesterday when they said they were ready to exploit the gap left behind when the national flag-carrier closes down most of its short-haul cargo operations.

BMI, the former British Midland, said it would expand its cargo services from Ireland to Britain in light of Aer Lingus's plans. The company has already established a base at Knock through its BMI Baby subsidiary and will accept cargo on its Dublin-East Midlands and Dublin-Manchester routes from September 1. BMI Baby also provides a service between Cork and London's Gatwick airport.

"Exporters should not panic about the closure of the Aer Lingus cargo services on certain routes," said Ian McCool, managing director of BMI Baby's Irish agent, International Airline Marketing (IAM). "We will provide an equivalent service to Aer Lingus that guarantees exporters will enable cargo to reach destination in the minimum amount of time possible." IAM also offers road transport services from Ireland to major British airports.