Else Beekman
Iberia is accelerating its long-haul growth strategy with an ambitious expansion across the Americas and a significant investment in its fleet. The Spanish airline, part of the IAG group, aims to open up to 20 new routes in the United States, Mexico, Central and South America over the next five years, alongside increased frequencies on existing key routes.
The initiative forms part of its “Flight Plan 2030”, a strategic roadmap that includes a €6 billion investment to expand Iberia’s long-haul fleet from 45 to 70 aircraft. The airline seeks to cement Madrid-Barajas Airport’s role as a major intercontinental hub.
New destinations across the Americas
Following this week’s announcement of new services to Toronto (Canada), Philadelphia (USA), and Monterrey (Mexico), Iberia is exploring further US destinations such as Seattle, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Atlanta. In Mexico, Guadalajara and Cancún are under consideration, the latter being a well-established holiday hotspot.
Iberia’s expansion plans for Central America and the Caribbean include potential routes to Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti. In South America, Iberia is targeting growth in Colombia (Medellín and Cali), Brazil (Belém, Natal, Salvador de Bahía), as well as Bolivia, Paraguay (Asunción), and Argentina (Córdoba).
Increased frequencies on key routes
The airline also aims to increase frequencies on existing routes to cities such as San Francisco, Santo Domingo, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Caracas, Guayaquil, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santiago de Chile.
Winter schedule: new US and Brazil routes
For the upcoming winter season, Iberia will launch three confirmed routes: Orlando (USA), and the Brazilian cities of Fortaleza and Recife. The Orlando service begins on 26 October with four weekly flights using Airbus A330s seating 254 passengers.
Flights to Recife will start on 13 December with three weekly departures, rising to five in February. Fortaleza flights commence on 19 January 2026, initially three times per week, increasing to four in February. These routes will be operated with the new Airbus A321XLR, a narrow-body aircraft capable of transatlantic flights and offering over 40% fuel savings compared to wide-body aircraft.
Long-haul fleet investment approved
Backing this network expansion is IAG’s recent board-approved order for 53 wide-body aircraft worth over €17 billion, to be delivered between 2028 and 2033. Iberia will receive up to 21 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, in addition to its current orders of A350s and A321XLRs.
Under Flight Plan 2030, Iberia will also add four short-haul A320 and A321neo aircraft, with 70% of its total €6 billion investment earmarked for renewing and expanding its long-haul fleet. Despite ongoing works at Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Iberia has ruled out growth there, leaving long-haul operations in Catalonia to its sister airline, Level.
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