The president and chief executive officer of Iberia, Marco Sansavini, has underlined that the Spanish airline is "leader" in connectivity between Europe and Latin America, and has placed this geographical area as a "fundamental" and "essential" part of its current roadmap Plan de Vuelo 2030, after the recent inauguration of new routes such as Recife and Fortaleza, in Brazil, or Monterrey, in Mexico.
During his appearance at the XVI Ibero-American Business Meeting (EEIB), held this Tuesday, he recalled that this year marks 80 years since the first flight on the Madrid-Buenos Aires route, a milestone that marked the first regular commercial air connection in history between Europe and Latin America. After that, the airline began flying to Mexico in 1950 and to Bogotá (Colombia) in 1958.
When analyzing the relevance of air connectivity in the economic development of the destinations it serves, he has highlighted that Iberia's presence in the region has contributed to the creation of around 100,000 jobs and an impact close to 3,000 million on the production of gross domestic product in 2024.
With regard to the current season, Iberia has offered historic capacity in Latin America during the summer, with up to 3.3 million seats, which represents an increase of 7.6% compared to 2025, reaching 366 weekly flights.
Sansavini has also referred to the complex current geopolitical context, marked by the rise in the price of aviation fuel. He has stressed that, thanks to its hedging and cost efficiency, the company has been able to maintain its frequencies and operations without stopping offering alternatives to passengers, while other airlines have been forced to cut services.
He has also highlighted the importance of technological innovation in the customer experience, mentioning Starlik's high-speed wifi connection, which "is progressively becoming available for free on all our aircraft". "It is already on all the Airbus A321XLR that fly to Latin American destinations," he added.
To conclude, representing Iberia and the IAG group, Sansavini conveyed his condolences to the victims of the "terrible" accident of Urda (Toledo), as well as his support and affection to "those who are still recovering from their injuries". He extended this message to former minister Fátima Báñez, with whom the airline "has worked very closely in the last few years".