IBERIA LAUNCHES LAX-MADRID SERVICE; NEW FLIGHTS TO GENERATE ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles is Only Nonstop Service from Spain to the U.S. West Coast
(Los Angeles, California – March 28, 2011) Iberia launched nonstop service today from Los AngelesInternationalAirport (LAX) to Madrid-Barajas International Airport (MAD) in Madrid, Spain. The flights are scheduled to depart three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, making Los Angeles the only nonstop service from Spain to the U.S. West Coast. The air service on Airbus A340 aircraft is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity in Southern California.
"We are very happy that Iberia is returning to LAX after a 14-year absence," said Gina Marie Lindsey, Los Angeles World Airports executive director. The nonstop route between Los Angeles and Spain will strengthen business, tourism, and cultural ties with one of the most desirable cities in Europe while providing connecting service to additional destinations.”
The service is part of the new business alliance between Iberia, British Airways and American Airlines that led to the creation of four new routes set to begin this spring. The four new routes include: New York to Budapest and Chicago to Helsinki (operated by American Airlines); London to San Diego (operated by British Airways); and Madrid to Los Angeles (operated by Iberia).
With the merger of Iberia and British Airways in January 2011, the new airline group is Europe’s third-largest in the world by revenues; Europe’s second and eighth in the world by passengers, and Europe’s first and fifth in the world by fleet size. Iberia is also a founding member of oneworld, an airline alliance that spans the globe, offering customers over 700 destinations with better connections. For more information on Iberia Airlines, go to http://grupo.iberia.com.
Iberia ’s Airbus A340 aircraft will feature a 36-seat Business Plus section with 2.20 meters of space for each passenger and seats that unfold into horizontal beds.
About Los AngelesInternationalAirport
LAX is the seventh busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 565 daily flights to 81 domestic cities and over 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 65 international destinations on over 75 carriers. In 2010, LAX served over 59 million passengers, processed over 1.9 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $84 billion, and handled 575,835 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.