It really is bye, bye Bmibaby

I've previously written about the time three years ago Bmibaby pulled £800 worth of advertising from the Leicester Mercury after I wrote an opinion piece headed 'Bye, bye Bmibaby?'

But it now looks like we really will be saying goodbye to Bmibaby - the name 'Bmibaby' at least.

Bosses of the Castle Donington low-cost airline have strongly hinted the name will be ditched after a takeover is completed by one of two unnamed potential buyers.

As reported in Wednesday's Leicester Mercury's Business Daily, BMI, Bmibaby's parent company, has lined up another carrier as a potential buyer after announcing last month it had agreed a preliminary "non-exclusive" deal to sell it to a different company, a mystery UK-based business.

The latest possible buyer is described as a European Union-based airline with operations across Europe. A final decision about the new owner will be made by the end of the month.

In a statement by BMI, in which it says it will not be revealing any more details about the mystery airline, the group says the 'Bmibaby' name will continue to be used for the "interim". This is a clear indication the name may be dropped after a new owner takes over.

This would make sense if Bmibaby is bought by another airline, such as Ryanair. But what if it is taken over by a business currently unconnected to air travel, which is what many believe the UK-based company is?

Bmibaby is a very strong brand, particularly in its Midlands heartland. Fantastic marketing has made corporate mascot 'Tiny' (pictured) one of the most recognisable characters on regional TV thanks to the airline's sponsorship of weather bulletins.

But with BMI bosses talking about plans for significant expansion under the new ownership, whoever it is, maybe Tiny's brand appeal will be viewed as a little too small for their plans.

With Bmibaby celebrating its 10th birthday later this month, poor old Tiny looks unlikely to reach his teens.