Iberia will fly to Tokyo and Shanghai

Madrid’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport will offer direct flights to Tokyo and Shanghai before the end of the year—the first nonstop flights connecting Spain with these two cities, according to an announcement made yesterday by Iberia President Luis Gallego.

Specifically, three weekly flights to Japan’s capital will begin on October 18. During the 2016/2017 winter season, three weekly flights to the Chinese city of Shanghai will begin once the necessary slots and permits are obtained. Both routes will be served by the Airbus A330-200 aircraft that the airline has taken delivery of as part of its major fleet renewal plan. The devices were unveiled at an event held yesterday at the airport, attended by the president of the Community of Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes.

For months, management has been busy calculating the costs of launching these regular routes to Asia. The new fleet and the stabilization of labor costs are making it easier for Iberia to pursue profitability in these new markets. From January through September, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Spain rose by 27% compared to the same period in 2014, while the number of Chinese citizens visiting Spain rose by 66%. In addition, an agreement has been reached to amend the agreement, which will allow for Chinese and Japanese crew members.

Gallego also noted that flights to Puerto Rico will resume on May 15 and indicated that flights to Johannesburg will begin on August 1. Gallego explained that Iberia’s goal is to grow “sustainably,” which is why, as part of its restructuring program, the decision was made to cancel some routes, although the company always had in mind the goal of expanding into Asia, “a very important market but one that is very difficult to enter.”

With this initiative and the agreement with Latam for routes to South America, the airline is taking a significant step forward in this new phase of growth. Iberia will fly three times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from Tokyo, and on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from Madrid—from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport to Narita Airport in Tokyo; these are the only direct flights between Spain and Japan. With this new route, Iberia will offer approximately 90,000 seats per year on this connection. Tickets for these flights are already on sale—subject to government approval—with promotional fares starting at 612 euros round-trip. Iberia confirmed that it has already begun discussions with Chinese authorities to launch the route to Shanghai, so the launch date is pending permits, slots, and negotiations.

Currently, there are no nonstop flights between Spain and Shanghai. “We have always aspired to be a global airline. With these routes to Tokyo and Shanghai, we are taking a step in that direction, while also bringing our country closer to two economic and tourism powerhouses: Japan and China,” Gallego said. Iberia will operate the two new routes with the A330-200, a twin-engine wide-body aircraft equipped with the new long-haul cabins, which have a capacity of 288 seats: 19 in business class and 269 in economy class.

Source: Cinco Días