Iberia (Madrid) is getting out of the short and medium-haul business and will concentrate on its long-haul business.

Iberia will create a new unnamed low-cost subsidiary to be based in Madrid, which will start operations in November 2010. This new airline will gradually take over the IB’s short and medium-haul routes, and will then expand by taking over British Airways’ short-haul routes pending the planned merger. By 2015, IB will no longer fly the short and medium-haul routes with its own planes and crews, thus concentrating on the long-haul routes especially to South America.

Expected fleet changes:

Airbus A320:

Leaving the fleet in 2010:

EC-HQG, EC-HQK and EC-HDN.

Airbus A319:

Arriving in 2010:

EC-LEI (already in MAD) EC-KUB (April 1)

Airbus A340:

Leaving the fleet in 2010:

A340-300:

EC-GQK, EC-HQF, EC-HQH (September), and EC-HQN (December).

Arriving in 2010:

A340-600:

EC-LCZ (already in MAD), EC-LEV (April 1), EC-LEU (June 1), EC-??? (July 1), EC-??? (August 1), the last being the last production line A340-600 to be built, and therefore, the last A340 to be built by Airbus.