Iberia's plan will widen the gap between Barajas and El Prat Airport on long-haul flights.

Iberia's new strategic plan includes €6 billion in investments through 2030, primarily aimed at boosting the Barajas hub through the purchase of aircraft and the construction of new infrastructure. It's a decisive commitment that will widen the existing gap with El Prat Airport on long-haul flights, where the IAG airline will not increase its presence at Barcelona Airport, despite the recent announcement of its expansion.

Iberia's chairman and CEO, Marco Sansavini, acknowledged yesterday, while presenting the new strategy, that IAG's plans for El Prat include not the Spanish airline, but rather the long-haul low-cost carrier Level. "There is an opportunity in Barcelona in the long-haul segment, but Level is the one that is driving it forward," he stated. The problem is that Level's fleet is much smaller than Iberia's.

The new plan, however, consolidates Madrid as a major airport hub and leaves Barcelona, ​​for the time being, without a leading airline to take advantage of its future expansion, worth 3.2 billion euros and still pending Brussels approval. The extension of the third runway is specifically intended to increase these long-haul flights.

Sixty percent of the €6 billion Iberia plans to invest will be used to increase its long-haul fleet, which will increase from 45 to 70 aircraft. Older short- and medium-haul aircraft will also be renewed. This is a much larger deployment than Level, which only has seven twin-aisle aircraft and, along with Vueling, constitutes IAG's main presence at El Prat Airport.

Sansavini stated that Barcelona is one of the four European hubs where IAG is a leader, along with London, Madrid, and Dublin. "The expansion of El Prat is positive considering that Barcelona is home to the two leading companies operating there, Vueling and Level," he stated.

IAG announces €6 billion investment in new aircraft and equipment at Barajas Airport.

Madrid also stands to gain in Iberia's ground infrastructure. The idea is to turn Barajas into a "European benchmark," which also includes the construction of Iberia City, which will house a state-of-the-art aeronautical center and the airline's headquarters. Approximately 1,000 people will be hired annually.

Iberia remains committed to the airlift, but for now has withdrawn from the list of candidate airlines to take advantage of El Prat's future plans. Vueling is the leader at Barcelona airport, with a 42% market share, ahead of Ryanair, which has 18%. Both are low-cost airlines , uninteresting in the boost Aena wants to give to the long-haul operations at El Prat. Level, with a 15% market share, dominates this segment, compared to Emirates' 12% and American Airlines' 10%. "The goal is to develop Madrid's full potential," Iberia's top executive stated yesterday. The €6 billion investment is one of the largest announced by a company in Spain in recent years.

The new aircraft will be manufactured by Airbus and will allow for the opening of new routes from Madrid to Toronto, Philadelphia, and Monterrey. The older aircraft will be replaced with the latest generation A320 and A321, and connections with Latin America will be strengthened.

Aena argues that El Prat Airport actually has better connections to Europe than Barajas Airport and emphasizes that its job is to provide the infrastructure. It's the companies that must request slots and establish their bases, hence the importance of operators like Iberia.

Barajas Airport now almost doubles El Prat Airport's service in intercontinental flights. It offers 90 such routes, compared to Barcelona's 54. These routes connect with the Americas, Africa, and Asia, channeling not only business and tourism relations with countries like China but also serving as a European springboard to Latin America.

Barcelona Airport needs leading airlines to consolidate its position.

Added to this is the difference in freight transport, where Barajas Airport is three times faster than El Prat Airport. Logistics is also closely linked to the use of large aircraft.