Iberia Restores Most Latin America Services

Source: Iberia

• This summer the Spanish airline will operate more than 90 flights per week  to a total of 18  destinations in 16 Latin American countries.

• Iberia resumed flights to Guayaquil in May, and in June it will restore services to Cali and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

• Meanwhile, it will add frequencies to the Dominican Republic, São Paulo, Panama, Costa Rica, and Cuba, along with some other destinations.

• It is also programming many more flights in Spain and to its more than 90 destinations in Europe and Africa, facilitating connections for Latin American travellers.

• Iberia’s Latin American routes are served by one of the world’s youngest fleets, comprised by the most sustainable and efficient twin-engine aircraft.

• Strict health and safety measures remain in force both on the ground and in the air, and Iberia supplies the most up-to-date information about the health documents required by each country of destination.

As of today 7 June, the Spanish government is lifting some restrictions on the admission of visitors from abroad. Now welcome are travellers from Latin America who have been inoculated with vaccines approved by European health authorities. For details, visit  https://bit.ly/3ih4wKb

For Iberia this move signals that it is now time to resume normal services to Latin America, in order to boost its long-standing leadership of the Europe-Latin America market, while assisting in the recovery of the air travel and tourism industry

Accordingly, its 2021 summer flight programme features the resumption of suspended routes, and additional flights on others. The airline will be flying to a total of 18 destinations in 16 Latin American countries, for a total of more than 90 flights per week.

Iberia resumed flights to Guayaquil in May, and in July it will restore services to Puerto Rico with three weekly flights, and to Cali with two. On both routes it will use 288-seat Airbus A-330/200s.

The largest increases in frequencies planned for July-September are:

• Mexico City, with 12 weekly flights in July and August, rising to 14 in September, using Airbus A350/900s.
• Bogota, Lima, Santiago-Chile and São Paulo will all be served by one daily flight.
• In Ecuador, Quito with get an extra weekly flight, for a total of six in July and August, while Guayaquil will continue with three per week.
• São Paulo will get one daily flight.
• Montevideo will be served by three Iberia flights per week in July and august, and this will increase to five in September
• Havana will get four flight per week in July and August, and five in September.
• Panama will see Iberia flights double to six per week.
• San José, Costa Rica will be served by one daily flight, up from the current six per week.
• Guatemala City – San Salvador will get up to four flights per week.
• Santo Domingo will get up to 11 Iberia flights per week, a 57% increase from the summer of 2020.
• Buenos Aires will be served by three flights per week, and pending permission by Argentine authorities, this will rise to six in July.
• Caracas remains closed to scheduled flights for the time being, but Iberia will operate a special return flight from Madrid on 14 June.

Víctor Moneo, Iberia’s Latin American Sales and Institutional Accords Manager, commented: “This year marks the 75^th anniversary of Iberia’s first flight to Latin America and nothing would make us happier than to resume full service to this this market. We know that recovery takes commitment, and we’re committed to Latin America. This summer is a real turning point, and we intend to re-enter this market with all our strength. Health and safety measures will remain in place, our fleet will ensure maximum efficiency, and our network of connections will be restored, because Iberia plans to remain the natural bridge between Latin America and Europe”.

Long-haul Flight Programme in July-September

90 Different Links Between Europe and Latin America

One of Iberia-s strong point is its connectivity between Europe and Latin America, and this summer Latin American travellers can continue with Iberia to some 90 destinations in Europe and Africa:

• In Spain, there will be additional frequencies to such key Spanish cities as Barcelona, Bilbao, Corunna, and Valencia, along with the Canary and Balearic Islands, which will be served by Iberia Express at 2019 levels.
• In Europa, Iberia is resuming its summer holiday flights to Budapest, Corfu, Catania, Olbia, Bergamo, Split, and Zagreb, while Iberia Express will fly to Herklion, Mikonos, Santorini, Bari, Palermo, Cagliari, Zadar, and Malta.

In Africa, Iberia Regional/Air Nostrum will fly to Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier, and Algiers, while Iberia will increase to five times weekly its flights to Dakar.

• In addition, Iberia is launching new summer routes to the Maldives, the  Azores, and also to Ljubljana, a destination chosen by Iberia’s social media followers.

One of the Youngest Long-haul Fleets in the World

During the pandemic Iberia accelerated its fleet replacement programme, retiring its  Airbus A340/600s and bringing in new Airbus A350/900s. Today it uses 29 twin-engine aircraft on its Latin American routes, including nine Airbus A350/900s, 12 A330/200s, and eight A330/300s. The Iberia fleet now has an average age of 4.5 years, making it one of the world’s youngest.

Fly Safely and with Confidence

Safety has been Iberia’s top priority throughout its 93-year history.

• Safety in getting the details right – Iberia uses advanced technological tools to provide up-to-the-minute information about the health document requirements of each country, as well as the location of approved Covid-19 testing centres. This information is available on the iberia.com website.
• Safety aboard – IATA and Pentagon studies have shown that the risk of viral contagion aboard aircraft is very slight, thanks to the air circulation and Hepa filtering systems. In addition to these, Iberia’s protocols have earned it a ranking amongst the ten airlines most secure against Covid-19 according to the Safe Travel Barometer, as well as four Skytrax stars for hygiene.
• Safety in changing plans – Iberia maintains a flexible policy with regard to changes and cancellations in these times