Source: Iberia

Iberia and the Madrid City Council today presented thenew “Hello, Madrid” Airbus A350, a recent addition to the airline’s fleet, at the Espacio Iberia, on Calle Velázquez, 37.

The event took place at Iberia’s newly opened pop-up store in the heart of Madrid, and was chaired by Almudena Maíllo, the Madrid Councillor for Tourism, and María Jesús López Solás, Iberia’s Commercial Network Development and Alliances Director.

Coinciding with the rebound of the tourism sector after the pandemic, this plane, with registration no. EC-NMZ, will contribute to the promotion of Madrid as a destination, a campaign in which Iberia is collaborating with the City Council, taking the Madrid brand to all the airports in the US and Latin America served by the airline, such as New York, Santiago de Chile, and Mexico.

This aircraft has a capacity for 349 passengers and is equipped with the three cçseating sections -Business, Premium Economy, and Economy- that can be experienced at the Iberia Space until 30 June.

In addition, this aircraft is between 30 and 35% more fuel efficient thanks to the innovative materials with which it is built, and the advanced design of its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

“Madrid is our home and we should have a plane named after it,“ said Ms López Solas. “The images on the fuselage of this Hello, Madrid A350 will enable us to invite passengers from the nearly fifty countries we fly to to continue visiting us, to get to know this perennially welcoming city, with its spectacular cultural, dining, and shopping experiences, and which, at the same time, is the best connecting hub to travel to any other destination in the world.”

Ms Maíllo explained that “Madrid is experiencing a unique period of unprecedented international projection. This “new” Madrid is the result of public-private collaboration, such as the commitment of companies like Iberia to the Destination Madrid brand, and City Council policies that seek to make it the best city to live in, visit, and invest in. At the Tourism Department we endeavour to tell the world about our city, which is full of life and boasts an array of gastronomic, cultural, shopping, and leisure experiences that matches that of any of the world’s great cities.”

Stopover Hola Madrid

Madrid is one of the ten most visited cities in the world and the third most popular in Europe, according to the 2021 ranking by ForwardKeys, which specialises in trends in tourism. In that year alone, 4.9 million people visited the Spanish capital, with almost eleven million overnight stays.

Madrid is also the connecting city for many travellers who continue  to  other destinations in Europe, the US, and Latin America. To  encourage  these tourists to leave the airport and visit the city  before continuing  their trip, Iberia and the Madrid City Council  launched Stopover Hola  Madrid, a programme aimed at  passengers on long-haul flights  operated by Iberia which allows  them to spend between one and six  nights in the city and offers  exclusive discounts on accommodation,  transportation, shopping, leisure, dining, and cultural activities.

Between July 2019 and December 2021, a total of 21,590 Iberia passengers turned their air connection at Terminal 4 into a tourist stop in the capital, benefiting from the advantages offered by this programme. Travellers from Brazil (25.2%) and the United States (10.3%), were the ones who most demanded this service.

The Councillor for Tourism explained that connectivity is one of the pillars of Madrid’s Strategic Plan for Tourism 2020-23. According to Maíllo, Madrid must take advantage of its excellent conditions and strategic location as a gateway from Latin America to Europe, emphasising its strong airport when promoting air connections. “Programmes like Stopover Hola Madrid help boost connectivity, increase the visibility of the city among long-haul travellers, and drive tourism”, she said.

“With Stopover Hola Madrid, we not only want to improve our customers’ experience and increase the number of visitors to Madrid, but also strengthen the position of our Madrid hub as a key connection between Europe, the US, and Latin America. 80% of the tourists who visit Spain arrive by plane and reinforcing the Madrid hub will allow it to evolve towards a new tourism model capable of generating greater wealth and more employment; a less seasonal model that will give us greater international projection,” added  Ms López Solás.

Promotion in the US

In addition, on 1 June Iberia will debut its direct flights to Washington DC and Dallas, and resume flights to San Francisco, so that this summer it will offer eight destinations in the US: New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston, in addition to the cities mentioned above: Washington DC, Dallas, and San Francisco.

The city of Madrid will be part of the inaugural flight to Washington DC, which will be operated by an A330-200, with registration EC-MKI, adorned with images of the Puerta de Alcalá, the Retiro Park, the Royal Palace and the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree.

“It is our way of bringing a little bit of Madrid to all the destinations we serve. On this occasion, it will be enjoyed by passengers at the Washington-Dulles airport, but throughout the summer these images will be seen in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and San José de Costa Rica, among other cities,” pointed out Ms López Solás, Iberia’s Commercial Network Development and Alliances Director.

And, coinciding with Iberia’s inaugural flight to Washington DC, representatives of the Madrid City Council will have the opportunity to meet with organisations, companies, and travel agencies to work on the joint promotion of the Madrid destination in the United States.

During these events, the city’s Tourism Department will focus on promoting Madrid’s tourism potential and the latest developments in the capital. The aim is to strengthen its position in this key market, in accordance with the guidelines set out in its new Strategic Tourism Plan, which emphasises the importance of promoting the Madrid destination in the US, emphasising segments such as premium and business and incentive travel.

More flights to United States than in 2019 

This year, Iberia is more committed  than  ever to the United States, and  is already  offering a capacity  of 4% more than in the  2019,  before the pandemic. The US is the  Spanish airline’s intercontinental  market  with  the most destinations  and  frequencies.

Specifically, this summer Iberia will  operate up to 120 weekly flights  between Madrid and the United  States. In addition to these new  destinations, the airline is increasing its  frequencies to Boston, Los Angeles,  Miami, and New York:

  • Washington DC: Four direct flights a week.
  • Dallas: Four weekly flights.
  • San Francisco: Three weekly frequencies.
  • Boston: One daily flight in July and August.
  • Los Angeles: Five weekly flights
  • Miami: Two direct flights per day.
  • Chicago: One daily flight.
  • San Juan de Puerto Rico: Five weekly frequencies, even more than in 2019.