Iberia limits Barcelona-Madrid flights to 99 euros per leg until February 19th

MadridSlow service, delays, and maintenance work on the high-speed rail line between Barcelona and Madrid have forced the train companies operating the service—Renfe, Iryo, and Ouigo—to adjust their schedules. Specifically, the rail operators have agreed with Adif, the company responsible for managing and maintaining the infrastructure, to establish new timetables starting this Thursday, February 5, and extend the journey time between Barcelona and Madrid by approximately 25 minutes, according to sources at the Ministry of Labor. As an alternative that is growing in demand these days, Iberia has decided to cap economy class fares on flights from Barcelona to Madrid at 99 euros until February 19. On the high-speed rail network, as explained this Monday, the last trains running each day on this corridor will be eliminated, as they were arriving within the maintenance window during which Adif is dedicated to inspecting and repairing the infrastructure, the source of the current problems.

In fact, in parallel to the agreement with Adif, Iryo, one of Renfe's competitors, has launched an alternative transport plan (PAT) in coordination with Adif, which will run from Thursday, February 5, until Saturday, February 7. During this period, it will cancel two services, corresponding to the trains that usually depart at 4:37 p.m. from Madrid and at 8:45 a.m. from Barcelona. Passengers affected by these changes will be rebooked on other services or can choose to cancel their trip and receive a full refund. Ouigo, for its part, brought forward its departures from Madrid by between 30 and 60 minutes, while departures from Barcelona remain unchanged.

Sources at the Ministry of Labor assure that these measures "will allow railway operators to optimize and adapt their services, and Adif's maintenance teams to carry out the usual infrastructure upkeep work when commercial [passenger] services are not running."

Iberia limits prices

Iberia has also decided to cap fares at €99 per leg in economy class for flights between Barcelona and Madrid, where demand has surged due to recent high-speed rail disruptions. However, the airline is maintaining its "flexible" and "comfort" air shuttle fares, designed for frequent travelers who require greater flexibility and additional services. The company operates up to fourteen daily flights in each direction on the Barcelona-Madrid route, covering all time slots, from 6:45 a.m. to 9:35 p.m.

Commuter Buses

Furthermore, the Catalan government approved on Tuesday the allocation of €4.1 million to pay for the 230 additional buses it has deployed to reinforce road transport in response to disruptions on the commuter rail network. The executive council approved the emergency contracting of these services, carried out by the Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition. The additional buses will follow, in whole or in part, the routes of the commuter rail network, and flexibility is planned to redistribute vehicles according to actual demand and the needs of each area. These buses are in addition to those offered by Renfe in its alternative transport plans for routes where there is no train service.