The Board of IAG has approved the creation of a new division of Iberia, Iberia Express, to operate the short and medium haul routes of Iberia as from 2012.
The Spanish airline has stated that the creation of Iberia Express will not affect the terms and conditions of employment of current employees of Iberia and will not change the ongoing collaboration with Vueling and AirNostrum.
The company will hire new staff for the venture, optimise the use of the aircraft fleet and, initially, maintenance and ground handling will be performed by Iberia.
Iberia Express will, therefore, have a lower operating cost than the current short and medium haul section of Iberia which runs at a deficit.
The new ‘low cost’ aims to compete effectively in the domestic market in Spain and in Europe, gradually incorporating additional destinations.
The new subsidiary will provide business and economy class fights from Madrid at competitive rates and, in addition to direct traffic, will provide connections to the Iberia long haul routes.
The new company will operate a single fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft and will initially have four aircraft of this type, all from the current fleet of Iberia. The aim is to have 13 aircraft by the end of 2012,