The airline has recovered the 86 weekly frequencies that it operated between Madrid and Barcelona before the pandemic
Customers will have at their disposal up to 15 daily flights with takeoffs every 30 minutes, and schedules that allow them to make the most of the day in both cities
The Iberia Air Shuttle has dedicated spaces at the Madrid and Barcelona airports
This year marks the 95th anniversary of the first Iberia flight, which connected Barcelona and Madrid on December 14, 1927
In the next winter season, Iberia will once again bet on the Air Shuttle between Madrid and Barcelona, and will now recover all the frequencies that it operated before the pandemic.
The objective of this commitment is to encourage and give new impetus to the corporate segment on the domestic route with the highest business traffic and, at the same time, improve its product for all customers who travel between the two cities in connection, especially with its network of long-haul flights.
In the winter season, which runs from October 30 to March 26, Iberia will offer up to 86 weekly frequencies between Madrid and Barcelona. In this way, Iberia customers will have up to 15 daily flights in each direction, with Wednesdays being the days with the most operations. This represents close to 700,000 seats, slightly above the supply in 2019, mainly due to the fact that the route will be operated by Airbus A320neo aircraft with greater capacity.
The schedules of the Puente Aéreo flights cover all time slots, with takeoffs every 30 minutes during peak hours. The first flight takes off from Madrid at 07:00 and the last one leaves at 21:15; in Barcelona, the first available flight is at 07:00 a.m. and the last one from Barcelona operates at 09:05 p.m.; these schedules allow round trips to be made during the day, thus encouraging business trips.
Even in 2020 and 2021, years marked by restrictions on mobility as a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iberia opted to maintain domestic and international connectivity in Spain and offered a stable flight program, including connections between Madrid and Barcelona. The airline has been gradually increasing the number of frequencies and, last winter season offered up to 68 weekly frequencies.
Air Bridge: “Arrive and Fly”
With this new boost to the Air Shuttle, Iberia fully recovers for its customers the philosophy of “arrive and fly” that has always characterized this service.
In November 2021, Aena reopened the counters, the security control and the VIP lounge near the boarding gates that Iberia uses for the Air Shuttle at El Prat airport. In Madrid, both the check-in counters and the security control and the Premium Lounge Dalí are close to the boarding gates of the Puente Aéreo flights on the North side of Terminal 4. All of this allows customers to show up for up to 20 minutes before their flight departs, and benefit from the “arrive and fly” advantage of this service.
In addition, Iberia Air Shuttle customers have total flexibility to change their flight from the Iberia App, as many times as necessary and at no cost; and they can make a seat reservation to ensure the flight of their choice or also fly with open tickets.
95 years flying between Barcelona and Madrid
Iberia celebrates its 95th anniversary this year. The Spanish airline operated its first flight on December 14, 1927, from Barcelona to Madrid with a Rohrbach-Roland aircraft with a capacity of 10 passengers.
During these almost one hundred years connecting Madrid and Barcelona, Iberia has been a participant in historic moments, as it was 30 years ago transporting the Olympic Torch for the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona.
