British airline bmi has replaced British Airways as the official airline of the England rugby team. BA has cut back on capacity, and has decided to give up its place as the preferred carrier for England's international teams. bmi has signed a three-year deal with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the governing body of the game in England.

Under the terms of the deal, bmi will receive a wide range of branding opportunities at Twickenham Stadium, the home of the England rugby team. That will include naming rights for the stadium's business debenture lounge, which will be renamed the bmi Diamond Club. The airline will fly England to their international matches, as well as transporting national team players from club to country meet-ups.

"It's great to have bmi on board as one of our official partners," said RFU Business Operations Director Paul Vaughan. "Their strong UK network gives us the flexibility we need to effectively manage the travel needs of England players from across the country whilst their international network and Star Alliance partnership gives us excellent access to over 900 destinations in 159 countries across the world."

Katherine Gershon, sales and marketing director for bmi, said: "We are very excited to be the official airline of the England rugby team and look forward to flying the team to and from their matches. Our excellent Business Class service on board and our new international lounge at Heathrow will ensure a relaxed journey to and from fixtures. We wish Martin Johnson and the team all the best for their remaining RBS 6 Nations fixtures."