Iberia Joins British, Qatar Airways in Massive Airline Partnership

Iberia plans to join an existing partnership between Qatar Airways and British Airways to improve global connectivity. This will make the world's largest airline partnership, which already covers more than 60 countries, even larger.

As part of the joint venture, Iberia will add an additional daily service from its hub at Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) to Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha beginning December 11. Qatar Airways also offers the same service twice daily. Once the Iberia route is operational, both airlines will offer three daily routes connecting Madrid and Doha. This will provide more connectivity for passengers traveling between Spain and destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Qatar Airways's daily service between Madrid and Doha operates as follows:

All times are local.

Iberia will operate the Airbus A330-200 on the route, which offers 269 seats in economy class and 19 seats in business class. The introduction of Iberia to the partnership between British Airways and Qatar Airways will provide passengers with more opportunities to visit a wider range of destinations. Travelers from Spain and Portugal will now be able to connect through British and Qatar Airways' hubs at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Doha Hamad (DOH), respectively.

Passengers cannot fly directly to many parts of the Asia-Pacific region from Madrid. However, London and Doha airports offer nonstop flights to these regions through their respective national carriers and other foreign airlines. These destinations include the Maldives, Tanzania, India, Singapore, and Australia. All of these destinations are in high demand by travelers from Spain and Portugal for business and leisure purposes.

Meanwhile, passengers from the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region will have easier access to tourist destinations on the Iberian Peninsula. Destinations in the region in high demand include Lisbon, Ibiza, and the Canary Islands.

Furthermore, passengers flying on any of the three carriers will have access to a large selection of award-winning products. Premium products in the flight cabins include Qsuite from Qatar Airways, Business Class from Iberia, and Club Suite from British Airways. Loyalty members on each airline can transfer Avios points between accounts on different airlines and combine their balances to claim awards offered by each airline's program.

British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club use the same currency to reward frequent flyers.

Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, said: "At Qatar Airways, we believe in connecting travelers to their destinations of choice, and our recent enhancement to the highly successful joint business with British Airways, includes the addition of another Oneworld member, Iberia. Our passengers will now have more opportunities than ever to connect to different destinations across the British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar Airways networks. This collaborative effort comes as part of our commitment to continuously improve the offerings available to our passengers and provide them with the best in the industry."

Sean Doyle, Chairman and CEO of British Airways, added: "Last year we expanded our joint business partnership with Qatar Airways with the addition of 42 countries, and I'm so pleased to see it growing even further as we welcome Iberia on board. We're committed to offering our customers as much choice as possible and working so closely with our partners in Madrid and Doha connects British Airways to more than 200 destinations globally."

Iberia CEO Fernando Candela also mentioned: "Joining the QJB with Qatar Airways and British Airways is excellent news for our customers. We are really excited about the launch of our Madrid-Doha route. Through QJB hubs in London and Doha, we are building the much-desired bridge between Spain and more than 200 destinations in Asia, Australasia, the Middle East, and Africa, and offering new opportunities for travelers in both directions. Our country is moving towards a new model of higher-quality tourism and, with the Madrid-Doha launching, we are making a breakthrough."