The Diplomat
Iberia will exceed 300 weekly flights with Latin America for the first time in the next winter season, which will begin on 28 October and run until 30 March 2024, which is 14% more than in 2019.
During those five months, the company will put more focus on its long-haul network, with 17% more flights in this market, especially in Latin America, which it will connect with Europe offering more than two million seats between the two regions.
“We are developing an ambitious plan in Latin America and the Caribbean that will give a great boost to connectivity with this region and, above all, will allow us to strengthen the role of Madrid airport as a bridge between Europe and Latin America,” said Iberia’s Commercial and Network Development and Alliances Director, María Jesús López Solás.
Thus, Mexico City, with 21 weekly frequencies, will be Iberia’s destination in Latin America with the greatest capacity, a figure that the company will also match with three daily flights to Bogota (Colombia).
Peru will consolidate the two daily flights between Lima and Madrid, with the exception of Sunday, with a total of 13 weekly frequencies, one less than Argentina, with 14 weekly frequencies. For its part, Chile fully recovers all the capacity it once had in pre-Pandemia, with ten frequencies a week, according to Iberia in a statement.
The same connectivity will be available to Brazil, which will maintain its daily flight to Sao Paulo and will add one more frequency to Rio de Janeiro during the months of January and February, reaching four weekly flights to that city. Thus, at the beginning of 2024, Brazil will have eleven weekly frequencies with Europe.
Ecuador will also have ten weekly frequencies, as this country will register an increase in Quito to a daily flight, in addition to the three weekly frequencies to Guayaquil.
Another increase will be in Venezuela, where Iberia will increase from three to five weekly frequencies between Madrid and Caracas, while in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic will have an increase during the winter season to nine weekly frequencies in January and ten in February.
Puerto Rico will also increase its connectivity with Spain by one frequency in November to five weekly, while the connection to Havana will have three weekly frequencies by the beginning of 2024.
In Central America, Iberia’s routes to Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama, as well as Uruguay in the southern cone, will have a daily flight.
Europe and the US
In addition, the airline will exceed 90 weekly flights between Europe and the United States, 24% more than in 2019. For example, Boston will have an increase of two frequencies compared to 2019, which will allow it to reach five flights each week.
Iberia will also offer two daily flights to Miami, and between eleven and 14 weekly frequencies between Madrid and New York. In addition, it will consolidate its daily flight to Chicago, four weekly frequencies to Dallas and another three to Los Angeles.
In Europe, the main novelty is that in December the company will launch the route to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland (Finland). This destination will have two flights a week from 2 December to 10 February. In total, the Iberia Group will increase its frequencies in the European market by 5% compared to the pre-pandemic, and will reach more than 800 flights a week.
Among the main routes, Paris will reach 50 weekly frequencies at Orly airport, which is a historical capacity, with more than 57% more seats than in 2019; while Rome will also have the maximum historical capacity, with 39 weekly frequencies, an increase of 35%. Similarly, in Italy, Milan will have 21 frequencies with Linate airport and 18 with Malpensa airport.
In addition, Venice, which will see an increase of four more flights a week with Madrid, will reach a total of 22 frequencies, while Zurich (Switzerland) will have an increase of two frequencies to 23 a week.
Also, for the winter season, the routes with Athens (Greece), Prague (Czech Republic) and Düsseldorf (Germany) will have an increase of three weekly frequencies compared to winter 2019. Likewise, Oslo (Norway), Stockholm (Sweden), Budapest (Hungary) and Hamburg (Germany) will have an increase of two frequencies a week with Spain.
Another short- and medium-haul market where Iberia will increase its capacity is Morocco. The route connecting with Marrakech will have an increase of four weekly frequencies to a total of 14 and frequencies with Casablanca will be increased to eleven weekly and, with Tangier, to one daily flight.
Iberia has programmed a growth of almost 6% of flights on its Spanish routes compared to winter 2022/2023, with more than 680 flights a week and already very close to pre-pandemic levels.
The biggest increase will be on the route between Almeria and Madrid, with an increase of seven weekly frequencies over last winter season. Likewise, the route to Granada will have an increase of five weekly frequencies.
Pamplona will also have four additional flights a week, Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) has been programmed an increase of three weekly frequencies and, in the case of La Coruña, the increase will be two weekly frequencies compared to last winter season.
