British airline bmi said on Tuesday it would start flying three times a week from London to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia from September.

Bmi has been eying the new route since British Airways suspended its flights to Riyadh and Jeddah in March, citing reduced demand.

"Bmi will be the only British carrier offering scheduled services to Saudi Arabia," Chief Executive Nigel Turner said in a statement.

The airline said flights would operate from London on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Bmi, formerly known as British Midland, is looking at other new long-haul routes as it seeks to expand. It started flying to Mumbai in India last month.

Bmi Chairman Michael Bishop owns 50 percent plus one share of bmi, while Germany's Lufthansa has 30 percent minus one share and Scandinavia's SAS owns 20 percent.