LOW-FARES airline bmibaby will open a base at Birmingham International Airport.
The move will mean the budget carrier flying to 20 new routes, creating more than 150 jobs and expanding operations by 35 per cent.
The services, which will start early next year, will be announced next week.
Birmingham is the latest in a rapid expansion plan by the airline that included it agreeing last year to base two aircraft at Teesside International Airport.
Bmibaby also operates from Gatwick, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast. The airline operates 52 routes and carried three million passengers last year.
* Budget airline Ryanair yesterday became the second carrier in as many days to expand operations at Luton.
The Irish airline is adding nine routes and four aircraft as part of a £130m investment -only a day after rival easyJet unveiled its own plans.
EasyJet will launch three routes from Luton.
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