Spanish flag-carrier Iberia said it is now flying to nearly every international destination to which it operated before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though demand has not fully recovered on a number of routes, the International Airlines Group-owned carrier has opted to attempt to stimulate the market through robust connectivity.
Iberia reached a market share of around 50% at its Madrid Barajas (MAD) hub during the first 11 months of 2021, according to the carrier’s figures. MAD is its primary international departure point.
The oneworld member, which emphasizes connecting Europe and Latin America, plans to continue to grow its network and flight frequencies this year, with plans to increase service to Argentina in the early months of 2022. Iberia serves Buenos Aires (EZE) from MAD.
In January and February, Iberia will operate 7X- to 10X-weekly flights to Argentina, expecting to ramp up to 12X-weekly flights by March 2022. Iberia carried around 1 million passengers annually between Spain and Argentina before the pandemic.
The carrier is currently operating 70 weekly flights to the US, connecting MAD to Boston (BOS), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA) and New York Kennedy (JFK). Routes launched in the 2021 summer from MAD to the Maldives (MLE) and Cali (CLO), Colombia, will be extended through the winter, Iberia said.
Iberia in 2022 will add Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Washington Dulles (IAD) to the roster of US cities it serves, and will resume flights between MAD and San Francisco (SFO). DFW and IAD will be served from MAD starting in April, the same month the MAD-SFO route will be restarted.
Both the MAD-DFW route and MAD-IAD routes will be operated 4X-weekly.
Iberia Group operates a total of 144 aircraft, of which 73 are flown by Iberia mainline, 53 are operated by regional Air Nostrum and 18 are flown by regional Iberia Express.
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