bmi regional has become a strategic partner to the East Midlands Chamber. 

It is in the process of adding to its current East Midlands to Brussels link and creating a new hub at Birmingham Airport, launching three new European routes from the UK’s second city to Graz, Gothenburg and Nuremberg, to provide improved connectivity to and from the East Midlands.

Chamber strategic partners are chosen from among its patrons to collaborate on specific policy matters.

Scott Knowles, chamber chief executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome bmi regional as a strategic partner. Our strategic partners influence delivery of our policy and how we lobby Government and other opinion formers. They are drawn from among our patrons, which are themselves a powerful force in shaping policy to drive economic growth and develop and equip smaller businesses with the knowledge and skills that are vital to their future.

“bmi regional will bring to the Chamber skills and expertise to complement those of the other patrons to evolve something which is, together, greater than the sum of its parts.”

Jochen Schnadt, chief commercial officer from bmi regional, said: “We are delighted to be welcomed by the East Midlands Chamber as a strategic partner as part of our ongoing growth strategy to connect key business regions.

“The East Midlands as part of the wider Midlands Economic Growth Engine is the real home of the ‘Made in Britain’ label and having frequent accessible connections to other European business centres is critical for the region. We look forward to working closely with the Chamber and to help influence its policies moving forward.”

bmi regional operates an all-jet fleet comprising 20 Embraer 135/145 aircraft. The airline operates more than 450 scheduled flights a week across a network of 35 destinations in 12 European countries. It also operates an ad hoc charter business and flies on a contract basis on behalf of other carriers.

The Chamber has 12 strategic partners and 38 patrons in total.