Iberia hopes to slam the coronavirus pandemic this year after a summer that is clearly expected to be a record. Thus, the airline has announced that for the first time it will exceed 300 weekly flights with Latin America in the upcoming winter season, which will begin on October 28 and run until March 30, 2024, which is 14% more than in 2019.
During those five months, the company will focus more on its long-haul network, with 17% more flights in this market, especially in Latin America, which will connect with Europe, offering more than two million seats between both 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 make it possible to reinforce the role of the Madrid airport as a bridge between Europe and Latin America”, The Commercial and Network Development and Alliances Director of Iberia, María Jesús López Solás, pointed out.
Thus, Mexico City, with 21 weekly frequencies, will be Iberia’s destination in Latin America with the highest capacity, a figure that the company will also match with three daily flights in Bogotá (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 will have, with 14 weekly frequencies. For its part, Chile fully recovers all the capacity it had in the pre-pandemic, with ten frequencies a week, as detailed by Iberia in a statement.
This same connectivity will have Brazil, which will maintain its daily flight to Sao Paulo and will add one more frequency with Rio de Janeiro during the months of January and February, until it reaches four weekly flights with that city. Thus, at the beginning of 2024, Brazil will have once a week frequencies with Europe.
Ecuador will also have ten weekly frequencies, since this country will register an increase in Quito up to the daily flight, to which is added the three weekly frequencies with Guayaquil. Another of the increases will be in Venezuela, where Iberia will go from three to five weekly frequencies during Madrid and Caracas, while in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, the winter season will increase to nine weekly frequencies in January and ten in February.
Puerto Rico will also increase its connectivity with Spain in a frequency in November up to five weekly, while a daily flight will arrive at the beginning of 2024, while the connection with Havana will have three weekly frequencies. In Central America, Iberia’s routes with Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama, as well as Uruguay in the southern cone, will have a daily flight.
United States and Europe
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 up to five each week. Iberia will also offer two daily flights to Miami, and between once and 14 weekly flights between Madrid and New York. In addition, it consolidates its daily flight with Chicago, four weekly frequencies with Dallas and another three with Los Angeles.
In Europe, the main novelty is that the entity will launch the route to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland (Finland), in December. This destination will have two weekly flights from December 2 to February 10. In total, in the European market, the Iberia Group will increase its frequencies 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 represents a historic capacity, with more than 57% more seats than in 2019; while Rome will also have the maximum historical capacity, with 39 weekly frequencies, representing an increase of 35%. Also in Italy, Milan will have 21 frequencies with Linate airport and 18 with Malpensa airport. In addition, Venice, which will register 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 (Norguega), Stockholm (Sweden) , Budapest (Hungary) and Hamburg (Germany), will have an increase of two frequencies per week with Spain.
Another short and medium radio market in which Iberia will increase its capacity is Morocco. The route that connects with Marrakech will have an increase of four weekly frequencies up to a total of 14 and the frequencies with Casablanca will be determined up to eleven weekly and, with Tangier, up to one daily flight.
More connections in Spain
Iberia has scheduled 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 greatest increase will be on the route between Almería 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, for Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) an increase of three weekly frequencies has been programmed and, in the case of La Coruña, the increase will be two weekly frequencies compared to the last season of winter.
