Monarch could create 150 East Midlands Airport jobs

Monarch Airlines' bosses have said they hope 150 new jobs will be created when the group starts fully operating from East Midlands Airport (EMA).

All bmibaby flights from EMA will stop on 9 September after British Airways bought BMI from Lufthansa.

The sale means bmibaby's Castle Donington base will close, with the loss of about 340 jobs.

Monarch Airlines' managing director Kevin George said the airline would need to take on more staff in 2013.

Aircraft investment

"In the short term, we have a very limited number of posts but next summer we will need at least 150 posts, particularly for cabin crew, that we would be able to recruit from the local area as we establish our base at East Midlands," said Mr George.

"It is early days and we need to be very careful we don't over-expand but we will fly to a whole raft of leisure destinations across Europe and there is the potential for us to develop new routes in the future."

Brad Miller, managing director of East Midlands Airport, said Monarch would provide a huge boost for the airport.

"This is a really strong reflection of what Monarch thinks about the catchment area and the region," he said.

"For an airline to invest in two new aircraft in these current economic times, it really says a lot about the area."

All bmibaby flights will cease to operate from EMA on Monday 10 September with the last flight departing on 9 September.