Two new services to Portugal from British Airways and bmi, will be starting this summer.The new BA service will start flying three times a week between London City airport and Faro on 7 June.The Algarve Promotion Bureau welcomed this new route, saying it is great news for the region’s meetings, incentive, convention and events (MICE) offerings, as well as holidaymakers looking for a beach escape.

Meanwhile, tourist attractions in the less well known Alentejo region are looking forward to a boost thanks to Sunvil Discovery customers.The operator will launch the first direct flight from the UK to the region on 22 May.A former military airport in Beja, a small town in rural Portugal, will open as a civil airport for the launch of the inaugural BMI charter flight from Heathrow.The Embraer 49-seat plane will operate on a weekly basis with flights every Sunday.