Iberia Express (Madrid) will launch low-fare operations on March 25 despite previous protests and strikes from Iberia’s unions who have now called off their strikes due to mediation. Iberia and the International Airline Group (IAG) are moving ahead with the launch while the issue is in mediation.
On its launch, Iberia Express will become an affiliated member of oneworld. Iberia has been a member since 1999.
Iberia Express is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iberia and will operate the short- and medium-haul flights currently handled by Iberia, plus some new routes. Iberia Express will cover point-to-point traffic and serve as a feeder for Iberia’s long-haul flights to/from its Madrid hub. The new airline will offer both economy and business class seats, initially in four Airbus A320s, but this number will rise to 13 aircraft by the end of the year. All the aircraft will be transferred from the current Iberia fleet. As previously reported, the pilots and cabin crews called off their planned 24 days of strikes from March through June to protest the launch after the Spanish government entered the dispute with promises of mediation. However it appears Iberia is getting what it wants – a new lower salaried option for its European routes.