Iberia leaves the growth of El Prat in the hands of the low-cost carrier Level
The airline's strategic plan seeks to turn Barajas into a major hub and is committed to the premium model.
MadridThe agreement to expand El Prat Airport will not, a priori, change Iberia's long-standing strategy: to grow at Barajas Airport by expanding long-haul routes, primarily in Latin America, to turn it into a "large" airport. hub"that can compete with the major European airports. The airline has just presented its Flight Plan 2030, a document in which this commitment remains the backbone. On the contrary, it leaves the objective of giving wings to the Catalan airport in the hands of Level—the low-cost brand of the Spanish-British group IAG, which also includes Iberia and Vueling.
They have been of little use. the planned investment of 3.2 billion euros to remodel and expand the Catalan infrastructure when it comes to changing Iberia's plans. A fairly clear example of the commitment to Barajas is the statement in which the airline details its strategic plan for the next five years and in which El Prat is not mentioned at any point, but the Madrid airport is.
The company, chaired for just over a year by Marco Sansavini – formerly president of Vueling – plans to invest 6 billion euros until 2030. A bulk of this injection of money will be used to expand from the 45 long-haul aircraft it also has at Barajas to the 70 it currently lacks: Toronto (Canada), Philadelphia (USA), and Monterrey (Mexico). These destinations will be added to those already announced (Recife and Fortaleza, in Brazil, and Orlando, in the United States). Likewise, it will "explore new possibilities, especially on the other side of the Atlantic."
Meanwhile, Level continues its particular fight to reign in Barcelona, at least in terms of low-cost long-haul flights. Unlike Iberia, however, for now Level has not given any clues about what its plans will be for the coming years in terms of new routes or aircraft. In any case, last December the company became independent from Iberia to boost and facilitate its growth in El Prat. This strategy by IAG denotes how the premium model that Iberia is betting on is gaining strength in Madrid, while leaving the low cost for the Catalan capital.
However, the fact that the strategic plan of the former Spanish flag carrier ignores the expansion of El Prat has not gone unnoticed among those who have been critical of the project. "Congratulations to those who defended the expansion as a favor," expressed the general secretary of ERC and councilor at Barcelona City Council, Elisenda Alemany, through the social network X.
Surviving without Air Europa
This year's plan arrives after the company's bankruptcy purchase of Air EuropaThis operation was to represent an "unprecedented boost to the country's [Spain's] connectivity, through the hub of Madrid," Iberia defended in the agreement signed in 2021. The company even acknowledged that the purchase "would allow [Barajas] to have the critical mass necessary to attract additional connecting traffic, open up to new markets, both passenger and cargo, and compete successfully with other hubs "Europeans" - issues that for now are a thorn in the side of Madrid airport, as confirmed by a 2020 KPMG report.
