Iberia Express (I2/IBS) the new low-cost unit of International Consolidated Airlines based in Madrid to provide lower cost  feed to Iberia Airlines route network, has already acheived a 30% reduction in unit cost improvement and is profitable.

On 13th August announced it carried 1 million passengers on over 7,000 flights  five months after commencing operations on 26th March 2012.

The airline operates 17 routes from it’s Madrid Hub including 12 domestic routes and 5 international routes operating 11 Airbus A320s in a 177 seat layout configuration with 500 staff, ranks in top five carriers at Madrid in terms of passenger volume. The airline plans to increase the fleet to 40 units by 2015.

The Iberia Express CEO Luis Gallego stated “Dublin is the first of six European destinations that Iberia Express has in its summer programme”.

Iberia Express operates the Dublin route 8 times weekly at present using Terminal 1, and will reduce frequency to five times weekly in September & October, after which the operation is expected to revert back to Air Nostrum/Iberia Regional for the winter schedule.

Irish Aviation Research Institute © 20th August 2012 All Rights Reserved.