HELLO Spain! Hello Portugal?
Iberia has set a launch date
for its reinstated flights to South
Africa from Madrid, starting August 2,
with grand intentions to capture the
South African market travelling on to
Portugal.
Part of the airline’s strategy is to
target the underserved market, offering
connecting flights (of only an hour) via
its hub to Lisbon.
Edward Frost, regional country
manager of British Airways and Iberia
in South Africa, says the connection
will service the large Portuguese
community in South Africa as well as
those in Angola and Mozambique.
“There are a lot of people very excited
and supportive of the flight,” he says.
Iberia’s flights will also offer SA pax
good access to the rest of Europe –
particularly the south of the continent
– and Latin America, says Celia Muñoz
Espín, head of sales for Europe, Africa
and Asia. The airline offers convenient
connections to 20 destinations in
South America, including Buenos
Aires, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
In Europe, the airline flies to 35
destinations, including Porto, Milan,
Rome, Berlin, Frankfurt, Geneva and
Zurich.
Iberia will launch with three flights
a week. Flight IB 6050 will depart
Johannesburg at 20h15 on Tuesdays,
Fridays and Saturdays to arrive in
Madrid at 06h35 the next day.
Reurn flight IB 6051 will
depart Madrid at 23h45
on Mondays, Thursdays
and Fridays to arrive in
Johannesburg at 09h05 the
next day. Flights are currently
bookable on the GDS.
Iberia will fly the
Johannesburg route, using an
A330-300, which features 242
seats in economy and 36 in
business class. The upgrades
to the business-class cabin
include lie-flat seats, each with
direct access to the aisle.
“We are looking to cater for
a mix of business and leisure
markets in South Africa,”
says Celia. “Locally, there
are some really interesting
opportunities, particularly in
the renewable energy and
fishery sectors,” Edward
adds. The development of
solar energy projects in the
Northern Cape will allow the
airline to facilitate the traffic
of expertise and investment
coming into South Africa.
Iberia has an interline
agreement with BA Comair
that offers connectivity to
domestic locations.
“We’re in a unique position
in the South African market,
in that we have a franchise
partner, Comair, that offers
domestic connectivity as well
the opportunity for passengers
to earn and burn miles on a
Johannesburg-Durban route,
for example,” says Edward.
International flights will be
operated on a codeshare
agreement with British
Airways, offering passengers
the ability to earn and burn
points on loyalty programmes
offered by both carriers.
Iberia will also leverage
British Airways’ relationships
with the trade in the SA
market, which will be served
by a joint sales team.
Being part of the IAG group
also means agents will be
able to offer clients flying to
Europe an alternative to flying
on British Airways, with the
added benefit that passengers
will not need to apply for both
a UK and Schengen visa.
