Spanish carrier Iberia has joined the Joint Business Partnership of British Airways and Qatar Airways. The airline has become a partner this month, but only in December will actively participate when it launches a service between Madrid Barajas and Doha.
BA and Qatar Airways started their Joint Business Partnership in 2016 but announced in September last year that it had been fully completed. Their JBA covers 185 destinations in sixty countries after 42 destinations were added to the partnership in the final phase.
Now Iberia gets on board, like British Airways part of the International Airlines Group (IAG). Remember that Qatar Airways already owns 25.1 percent of BA. Including Iberia, the partnership now covers 200 destinations in 62 countries. All three airlines are also members of the oneworld alliance.
The Madrid-Iberia route will first operate on December 11, using an Airbus A330-200. Iberia CEO Fernando Candela said: “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.”
Qatar Airways and British Airways also welcome the partnership with Iberia as another opportunity to offer customers more choices and destinations. Iberia has a strong network to Latin America that could benefit Qatar Airways, while Qatar is strong in the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. British Airways operates an extensive network to North America and is building back capacity to Asia and China.
