It’s Sunday, and it’s time for a very special Airplane Art
This week, it’s the British Midland International fleet from 2007 to 2012 as photographed by my fair hands and fair cameras.
As you probably know,BMI is now part of International Airlines Group and will be merged into the British Airways unit over the next few months. As a result, there’s a strong chance that the white and blue of BMI’s “Whale”scheme will be painted out and replaced with the Chatham Dockyard tail of British Airways.
Of course, the images are clickable if you want to look at the big pictures.
At London Heathrow T1 in 2007…
At LHR in the classic “Whale” Livery (Airbus A319)
Airbus A321 at Dublin Airport in the transitional British Midland/BMI Livery
One of the dreaded BMI Regional ERJ’s taxing at London Heathrow
A combo here – Old Style Star Alliance Washing Line and BMI Interim.
The dreaded BMI Boeing 757 operated by Astraeus
A more current logojet taxing at LHR in March this year.
And a current whale waiting on a Heathrow morning.
…. and finally a few of the aircraft that introduced me to BMI: The Airbus A330 “fleet”
aAt Chicago O’Hare
Taxing at it’s traditional home of Manchester Airport
The A330 logojet sitting at London Heathrow
Being towed to the gate at Chicago O’Hare
And dusk for the airline.
More less sentimental Airplane Art next week.
Having witnessed Sabena going belly-up in 2001, I can understand how it feels to see BMI go. Losing a carrier is never a pleasant thing to see. However, unlike Sabena, which was replaced by Brussels Airlines (still only a shadow of what Sabena used to be, but still better than nothing), BMI will be gone forever. even though I’ve never flown them, I did see their ERJs at BRU quite frequently, so in short, they’ll be missed by me as well. Just a shame I never really had the chance to fly them.