By Connor Sadler
Iberia Restores Latin American Services as Spain Reopens to More Tourists
Iberia announced this week that it is restoring services to most of its destinations in Latin America. The news comes as the Spanish government has re-opened Spain to more foreign travelers.
The Spanish flag carrier will also be increasing frequencies to selected destinations for the summer season.
Iberia’s 2021 summer flight program will total more than 90 flights per week to Latin America. The schedule includes 18 destinations in 16 countries.
The airline has already resumed flights to Guayaquil, Ecuador in May. In July, the airline will restore services to San Juan in Puerto Rico and Cali in Colombia.
Iberia’s most prominent frequency increases include Mexico City, which the airline will serve twelve times per week in July and August. From September, this will increase to 14 weekly flights.
Santo Domingo will receive up to eleven weekly Iberia flights. Bogota, Lima, San José, Santiago and São Paulo will all increase to daily services. Services to Quito and Panama City will increase to six weekly flights this summer. Moreover, Havana will receive four weekly flights in July and August, going to five in September.
Similarly, Montevideo will go from three weekly flights over the summer to five in September. Buenos Aires will also receive three weekly flights, but this would reach six in July – pending Argentine government approval.
Guatemala City / San Salvador will receive up to four flights per week. Finally, Iberia hopes to serve Caracas once per week in July, August and September, pending Venezuela’s re-opening. However, it will operate a one-off return flight to Madrid on June 14.
Iberia’s Latin American Sales and Institutional Accords Manager, Victor Moneo, said in an airline press release: “This year marks the 75th anniversary of Iberia’s first flight to Latin America and nothing would make us happier than to resume full service to this this market. We know that recovery takes commitment, and we’re committed to Latin America.”
“This summer is a real turning point, and we intend to re-enter this market with all our strength. Health and safety measures will remain in place, our fleet will ensure maximum efficiency, and our network of connections will be restored, because Iberia plans to remain the natural bridge between Latin America and Europe,” continued Moneo.
Iberia has also improved its connectivity within Europe and to Africa.
Domestically, the airline has increased frequencies to Barcelona, Bilbao, A Coruña and Valencia. Iberia Express has also added services to the Canary and Balearic Islands to 2019 levels.
Across the continent, summer vacation services to Budapest, Corfu in Greece; Catania, Olbia and Bergamo in Italy and Split and Zagreb in Croatia are resuming. Iberia Express is also returning to Heraklion, Mykonos and Santorini in Greece; Bari, Palermo and Cagliari in Italy; Zadar in Croatia and Malta.
Over the Mediterranean, Iberia Regional – operated by Air Nostrum – will fly to Casablanca, Marrakesh and Tangier in Morocco and Algiers. Iberia mainline will also increase its Dakar flights to five per week.
The Spanish flag carrier is also introducing new services to the Maldives, the Azores and Ljubljana. The Slovenian capital was chosen by Iberia’s social media followers, according to the press release.
As of June 7, travelers from more countries are allowed into Spain provided they meet differing requirements.
Travelers from within the EU or EEA require proof of immunization from a European Medicines Agency-approved vaccine. However, travelers must have had the last dose necessary at least 14 days before arrival. Alternatively, travelers from these areas can also enter with proof of a negative COVID-19 test. A certificate of recovery is also accepted, provided it is within six months of a positive test.
Travelers from Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Macao and the U.K. do not need either proof of immunization or a negative Covid test.
Travelers from countries not listed above require a vaccine certificate for entry to Spain.
Connor has been in love with flying since the first time he boarded a plane when he was 5 years old. He loves all things aviation, and he hopes to make that his full time career in the future.
