Iberia to increase seat capacity to Puerto Rico by 30% in 2024
The airline expands its services with daily flights and a new tourism promotion agreement.
Iberia, the airline offering direct connections between Puerto Rico and Spain, will have about 200,000 seats available for the route, representing a 30% increase compared to 2023 and more than 140% compared to pre-pandemic figures in 2019, said Marina Colunga, Iberia’s commercial director for Latin America
This growth “results in a strong reinforcement of the air connection directly linking Puerto Rico and Spain, in addition to promoting connections to more than 100 destinations in other European countries,” said Puerto Rico Tourism Co. Executive Director Carlos Mercado.
The seat capacity boost on Iberia’s flights connecting Spain and Puerto Rico is due to the scheduling of a daily flight for most of 2024, connecting San Juan with Madrid, officials said. This capacity is much greater than in 2023 when the frequencies ranged between four and five weekly flights.
Iberia’s commitment will also continue during the next winter season in Europe, from the end of October until the end of March 2025. During these months alone, the airline will have almost 90,000 seats, connecting the island with Europe. This represents a 13% growth compared to 2023 and a 151% increase over 2019, officials said.
“This will set a record in the connectivity between San Juan and Madrid, undoubtedly leading to greater tourist exchange between both destinations, impacting the tourism industry and economic development in Puerto Rico,” Mercado said.
This route is operated with a next-generation aircraft, the A330-200, which has 288 seats distributed in business and economy cabins, catering to each customer’s needs. Moreover, it is more sustainable, reducing fuel consumption by 15% compared to its predecessor, according to the airline.
“In Latin America, we’re in an expansion phase, as evidenced by the 16% growth in capacity we have deployed this year, providing us with more than 5.3 million seats available between both regions, a historic record,” Colunga said.
“And, in this context, the increase we have achieved in Puerto Rico is key to consolidating our leadership in the country and becoming the preferred option for all our customers in Latin America to fly to Europe,” Colunga added.
Beyond the capacity increase, Puerto Rico has been in Iberia’s spotlight all year, as the route connecting the island with Europe celebrated its 75th anniversary of its first flight. This makes it one of the airline’s oldest routes in Latin America, a region Iberia first reached in 1946.
In this context, Puerto Rico and Iberia signed a new tourism promotion agreement earlier this year, which has driven various actions throughout 2024, including one of Iberia’s A321 aircraft featuring an image of Puerto Rico as it flies in Europe.
Iberia, the airline offering direct connections between Puerto Rico and Spain, will have about 200,000 seats available for the route representing a 30% increase compared to 2023 and more than 140% compared to pre-pandemic figures in 2019, said Marina Colunga, Iberia’s commercial director for Latin America
This growth “results in a strong reinforcement of the air connection directly linking Puerto Rico and Spain, in addition to promoting connections to more than 100 destinations in other European countries,” said Puerto Rico Tourism Co. Executive Director Carlos Mercado.
The seat capacity boost on Iberia’s flights connecting Spain and Puerto Rico is due to the scheduling of a daily flight for most of 2024, connecting San Juan with Madrid, officials said. This capacity is much greater than in 2023 when the frequencies ranged between four and five weekly flights.
Iberia’s commitment will also continue during the next winter season in Europe, from the end of October until the end of March 2025. During these months alone, the airline will have almost 90,000 seats, connecting the island with Europe. This represents a 13% growth compared to 2023 and a 151% increase over 2019, officials said.
“This will set a record in the connectivity between San Juan and Madrid, undoubtedly leading to greater tourist exchange between both destinations, impacting the tourism industry and economic development in Puerto Rico,” Mercado said.
This route is operated with a next-generation aircraft, the A330-200, which has 288 seats distributed in business and economy cabins, catering to each customer’s needs. Moreover, it is more sustainable, reducing fuel consumption by 15% compared to its predecessor.
“In Latin America, we’re in an expansion phase, as evidenced by the 16% growth in capacity we have deployed this year, providing us with more than 5.3 million seats available between both regions, a historic record,” Colunga said.
“And, in this context, the increase we have achieved in Puerto Rico is key to consolidating our leadership in the country and becoming the preferred option for all our customers in Latin America to fly to Europe,” said Colunga.
Beyond the capacity increase, Puerto Rico has been in Iberia’s spotlight all year, as the route connecting the island with Europe celebrated its 75th anniversary of its first flight. This makes it one of the airline’s oldest routes in Latin America, a region Iberia first reached in 1946.
In this context, Puerto Rico and Iberia signed a new tourism promotion agreement earlier this year, which has driven various actions throughout 2024, including one of Iberia’s A321 aircraft flying in Europe with a vinylized with image of Puerto Rico.
