Iberia returns to Washington with new Madrid flight
Iberia will return to Washington with a new flight to the U.S. capital from Madrid.
The Oneworld Alliance carrier will resume flights to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) on May 1, Iberia said Wednesday. The route will operate four-times-per-week initially. On July 6, the service will increase to five weekly flights that operate on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Iberia last served Washington in 2010, when it ended flights from Madrid, according to Cirium schedule data.
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The airline will fly an Airbus A330-300 between Madrid (MAD) and Dulles. The aircraft are configured with 29 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats and 242 economy seats.
In the U.S., Iberia partners with American Airlines, which has a hub nearby at Washington's at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA). That airport, however, focuses mostly on domestic traffic and is unlikely to produce feed Iberia's service at Dulles, located about 30 miles to the west.
Washington joins Boston (BOS) among U.S. cities receiving new service from International Airlines Group-owned (IAG) carriers in 2020. The Iberia route complements low-cost carrier LEVEL's planned new service between Boston and Paris Orly (ORY).
British Airways, IAG's largest airline, has yet to announce any new U.S. routes next year. The Oneworld carrier has been on a tear the past few years, adding Charleston (CHS) in South Carolina, Nashville (BNA), New Orleans (MSY) and Pittsburgh to its map.
"With the launch of flights to Washington Dulles, our eighth U.S. destination, we are strengthening our presence in the United States," María Jesús López, chief network development officer at Iberia, said in a statement. "This new route allows us to meet the needs of our corporate and premium customers as well as those of people from the greater D.C. area coming to Spain on holidays."
Iberia is the latest international carrier to add Washington Dulles to its map. Cabo Verde Airlines is due to begin service in December, and SWISS will connect the U.S. capital and Zurich next March.
Related: United Airlines adds 3 more routes to growing Washington Dulles hub
Dulles has also added Alitalia, EgyptAir and TAP Air Portugal to its roster of foreign airlines this year. The international growth is part of an effort by the airport to grow passenger numbers to more than 30 million, from 24.1 million in 2018, over the next few years.
Iberia will compete with United Airlines between Madrid and Washington.