LONDON – On Friday, Iberia announced its extensive plan to bolster operations within Latin America, Europe, and the U.S.
The Spanish carrier has said that it aims to “consolidate its post-pandemic recovery in the Summer of 2023”, with the focus being on long-haul markets.
Without further ado, let’s get into their expansion plans…
Iberia In Latin America…
For Summer 2023, Iberia aims to offer around 280 flights per week to 18 destinations in 16 Latin America-based countries.
Below is the full breakdown for the Summer:
| Destination | Frequencies |
| Bogota | 18-weekly from June 2023, 21-weekly from November 2023 |
| Buenos Aires | Twice daily in Summer 2023. |
| Lima | 10-weekly from June 2023 – Plans to go twice daily this year. |
| Mexico City | Thrice-daily as of December 2022 continues. |
| Quito | Six daily from June 2023 in addition to thrice weekly in Guayaquil. |
| Montevideo | Seven-weekly, which began last month. |
| Santiago de Chile | Consolidation of daily flights. |
| Rio de Janeiro | Thrice weekly. |
| Sao Paulo | Seven weekly. |
| El Salvador | Daily flights. |
| Havana | Five weekly from September 2023. |
| San Jose | Five weekly in Summer 2023, seven weekly from November 2023. |
| Santo Domingo | Daily flights after Summer 2023, with Puerto Rico reaching six weekly flights in July and August. |
| Caracas | Thrice-daily continues from the upgrade in November 2022. |
Iberia’s Increased Frequencies in the U.S…
Iberia will be offering up to 124 weekly flights between Spain and its eight destinations in the U.S. They are as follows:
| Destination | Frequencies |
| New York | Twice-daily flights from March. |
| Miami | Twice-daily flights to be maintained year-round. |
| Chicago | Daily flights from March-December 2023. |
| Boston | Daily flights from April-October 2023. |
| Dallas | Upgrading from four-weekly to five-weekly in April, six-weekly in May, then daily from June-October 2023. |
| Los Angeles | Upgrading from four-weekly in April to five-weekly between May-October 2023. |
| Washington D.C. | Four-weekly service to operate between April-October 2023. |
| San Francisco | Seasonal route returns in May-October 2023 on a thrice-weekly basis. |
Europe-based Routes Getting Expansive Treatment in Summer 2023…
As well as expanding its presence in the U.S. & Latin America, Iberia will be making expansive gains within Europe for the Summer 2023 season.
The announcements are as follows:
| Country | Frequencies |
| Norway | Bergen – July & August with twice-weekly flights. |
| Italy | Catania & Olbia is to be operated from June-September 2023. Milan flights are to be increased to five daily. Rome flights are to be increased from 32 to 37 weekly flights. Venice flights are to be increased from 20 to 25 weekly flights. |
| Croatia | Dubrovnik – 2x daily flights in August. Split – Daily flights in August. Dubrovnik – Daily flights in August. |
| Greece | Athens – Thrice daily in August. Corfu is to be operated between July-September. Mykonos & Santorini is to be operated from June-September. |
| Portugal | Lisbon, Oporto, and Funchal year-round routes to continue. Faro & Ponta Delgada to operate between June-September under the Iberia Regional brand. |
| Germany | Dusseldorf – Four daily flights to be offered. |
| Sweden | Stockholm to increase from seven-weekly to nine-weekly in May & 10-weekly in July. |
| France | Bordeaux flights to increase from twice daily to thrice daily. Nantes flights to increase to thrice daily. |
| Spain | Madrid-Barcelona Air Shuttle to increase from 75 weekly to 86 weekly flights. Bilbao to increase from 32 weekly to 38 weekly. A Coruna flights to increase from 26 weekly to 31 weekly flights. Santander to increase from thrice daily to four daily. |
Iberia’s CNA Director: Focus Continues on Latin America, Europe & U.S. Operations…
Expanding on this major announcement was María Jesús López-Solás, Iberia’s Commercial, Network, and Alliances Director:
“Latin America and the Caribbean have always been at the center of our strategy, but this year we will go further to increase our presence in markets such as Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, strengthen our leadership on routes between Latin America and Europe and, at the same time, support the role of Madrid’s airport as a bridge between both regions,”
Iberia remains in a very strong position compared to the COVID-19 period, as exemplified here by RadarBox.com via seven-day rolling averages in flight movements.
For February 12-19, the Spanish carrier operated 530 flights, which represents an increase of 46.41% compared to the same period last year.
Such a figure is also a staggering 195 flights ahead of 2019 levels, which shows that Iberia has made strong moves in moving away from the pandemic.
Below is the last four weeks’ worth of data on the carrier provided by the flight-tracking company:
| Date | 2019 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| January 15-22 | 333 movements | 442 movements | 528 movements | +19.46% |
| January 22-29 | 341 movements | 438 movements | 541 movements | +21.23% |
| January 29-February 5 | 330 movements | 443 movements | 532 movements | +20.09% |
| February 5-12 | 338 movements | 442 movements | 536 movements | +21.27% |
This data highlights the fact that the Summer 2023 season is going to be the opportunity to increase the seven-day rolling average into the high 500s, if not the low 600s, which is exactly the direction Iberia wants to head for.
Things Are Looking Good for Iberia…
It remains clear that Iberia is currently on the right track post-pandemic and that these service expansions into Latin America, the U.S., and Europe is going to add to its continued successes.
The Spanish carrier is constantly receiving new aircraft, both long-haul and short-haul frequently, so this again will allow for more flights to be operated.
But for now, all eyes are on Iberia to see how much further it can take its successes, especially during the Summer 2023 season, which is expected to be the busiest on record.
