NORTHWEST Airlines has cut its service to Bermuda, one of several routes the company has abandoned since it filed for bankruptcy in September.

The airline returned to Bermuda last year after an absence of more than a decade, operating a weekly service between the island and Detroit. However, a decision was made to dump the Bermuda flight at the end of the season ? part of a wider plan which saw a 15 per cent reduction in Northwest flights in the last year.

"Northwest concluded their service last summer at the end of August," said Aaron Adderley, acting general manager at the Bermuda International Airport. "We had a weekly flight out of Detroit which started in early May and it concluded on August 20.

"At the time, the flight was doing a 50 per cent load factor and usually, airlines look for a 65 per cent profitability.

"It was a new service out of a new gateway. It usually takes a few years to build up the profitability on a new route but unfortunately, they decided not to return this year."

Mr. Adderley said the airport was constantly on the look-out for new routes and it was possible a replacement might be found in the future.

However, with nearly every "legacy carrier" suffering because of high fuel costs and increased competition, Northwest's decision to cut its Bermuda route didn't come as a complete surprise.

"To expect an airline to stick to a route and wait for it to do well, is a hard sell at this point," he explained. "But 50 per cent is a number we can build on. For a new city, a new flight, you expect it to take two to three years before you get a level you're happy with."

Last month, the Department of Tourism announced arrivals jumped by 18 per cent between January and May compared to 2005 ? air arrivals saw an increase of 5.8 per cent while cruise ship visitors few by 44 per cent.

The leap in air passengers has been largely attributed to the introduction of low-cost carriers to the island such as USA 3000 and JetBlue. Adding to the numbers, and hopefully expanding the European market however, is increased service from British Airways and a weekly flight out of Munich. Initially hampered as the flight awaited German regulatory approval, it is now up and running.

"Bookings were slow to start but much of that can be attributed to the uncertainty (while awaiting regulatory approval)," said Mr. Adderley. "We expect the flights to grow. The last flight was about 50 per cent and we fully anticipate that number to continue to grow based on comments from German agents."

The flight is part of a two-step plan to increase visitor arrivals from the UK and Europe.

"First, we saw the expansion of service from British Airways to seven flights a week and secondly, we looked at a market in continental Europe and tried to build that. Germany always had potential for us and this is the first step of what we hope to be a successful market for us."

He explained that the flight's Milan origin offered lots of potential and that success has already been seen with the increased offerings by British Airways ? more than 2,500 additional passengers have travelled to the island as a result.

"We hope the flight plants seeds for both countries in stimulating interest in Bermuda. It's part of a two-pronged strategy to build arrivals out of the UK and Europe.

"In an effort to increase awareness of Bermuda in mainland Europe and to promote continued awareness of our new weekly flight from Milan and Munich, the Bermuda Department of Tourism is hosting European celebrities Willy and Sonja Bogner of Bogner.com who are on island to conduct a major photo shoot.

"This will represent the single biggest promotion for Bermuda in mainland Europe by exposing the island to some 800,000 wealthy consumers starting this September."