International Airlines Group carrier Iberia has announced plans to increase short and medium-haul flights from July 1, with over 50 destinations in Spain and Europe set to be served by August.
The airline is currently operating a “minimum level of air connectivity”, including flights from Madrid to the Spanish Islands (Canary Islands and the Balearic), Barcelona, Bilbao, Asturias, Vigo, La Coruña, London and Paris.
This will continue during June, before Iberia and its subsidiaries Iberia Express and Iberia Regional resume services to a total of 40 destinations in July, rising to 53 in August.
At least 194 return flights are planned per week in July, rising to 359 in August. The carrier said that this equates to 21 per cent of its normal short and medium-haul seat supply, adding that the figure “may rise to 35 per cent as demand increases”.
No long-haul flights are planned for the time being, with Iberia stating that these will follow “as soon as conditions allow and quarantine and travel restrictions are lifted in the countries served by Iberia”.
The resumption of European services will include regular flights in July to Athens, Brussels, Dubrovnik, Geneva, Lisbon, London, Milan, Munich, Oporto, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Venice and Zurich, as well as to Dakar in Senegal.
In August services will be added to Berlin, Bologna, Copenhagen, Dublin, Faro, Frankfurt, Lyon, Manchester, Marseilles, Prague, Santorini and Toulouse, as well as Marrakesh in Morocco.
Meanwhile domestic and short-haul services will be resumed to Alicante, Almeria, Asturias, Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada, Jerez, La Coruña, Malaga, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Santander, Santiago, Seville, Valencia, and Vigo, as well as Tenerife Norte, Tenerife Sur, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma in the Canary Islands, and to Majorca, Menorca, and Ibiza in the Balearics.
Customers holding tickets bought before today (May 28), for travel up to August 31, may change the date of travel, or exchange them for flight vouchers valid up until December 30, 2021. Meanwhile those purchasing tickets between now and June 30, for travel until December 31, may change the date of travel once without penalty (although any fare difference will apply).
Earlier this month fellow IAG member carrier British Airways announced plans for a “meaningful return to service” in July, although IAG’s CEO Willie Walsh has since warned that any introduction of a quarantine period for arrivals into the UK (which has now been confirmed by the UK government), would result in the carrier’s capacity into and out of the UK being “pretty minimal”.