Iberia and the Madrid City Council today presented the new “Hello, Madrid” Airbus A350, a recent addition to the airline’s fleet, at the Espacio Iberia, on Calle Velázquez, 37.
The event took place at Iberia’s newly opened pop-up store in the heart of Madrid, and was chaired by Almudena Maíllo, the Madrid Councillor for Tourism, and María Jesús López Solás, Iberia’s Commercial Network Development and Alliances Director.
Coinciding with the rebound of the tourism sector after the pandemic, this plane, with registration no. EC-NMZ, will contribute to the promotion of Madrid as a destination, a campaign in which Iberia is collaborating with the City Council, taking the Madrid brand to all the airports in the US and Latin America served by the airline, such as New York, Santiago de Chile, and Mexico.
This aircraft has a capacity for 349 passengers and is equipped with the three cçseating sections -Business, Premium Economy, and Economy- that can be experienced at the Iberia Space until 30 June.
In addition, this aircraft is between 30 and 35% more fuel efficient thanks to the innovative materials with which it is built, and the advanced design of its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.
“Madrid is our home and we should have a plane named after it,“ said Ms López Solas. “The images on the fuselage of this Hello, Madrid A350 will enable us to invite passengers from the nearly fifty countries we fly to to continue visiting us, to get to know this perennially welcoming city, with its spectacular cultural, dining, and shopping experiences, and which, at the same time, is the best connecting hub to travel to any other destination in the world.”
Ms Maíllo explained that “Madrid is experiencing a unique period of unprecedented international projection. This "new" Madrid is the result of public-private collaboration, such as the commitment of companies like Iberia to the Destination Madrid brand, and City Council policies that seek to make it the best city to live in, visit, and invest in. At the Tourism Department we endeavour to tell the world about our city, which is full of life and boasts an array of gastronomic, cultural, shopping, and leisure experiences that matches that of any of the world’s great cities.”
Stopover Hola Madrid
Madrid is one of the ten most visited cities in the world and the third most popular in Europe, according to the 2021 ranking by ForwardKeys, which specialises in trends in tourism. In that year alone, 4.9 million people visited the Spanish capital, with almost eleven million overnight stays.
Madrid is also the connecting city for many travellers who continue to other destinations in Europe, the US, and Latin America. To encourage these tourists to leave the airport and visit the city before continuing their trip, Iberia and the Madrid City Council launched Stopover Hola Madrid, a programme aimed at passengers on long-haul flights operated by Iberia which allows them to spend between one and six nights in the city and offers exclusive discounts on accommodation, transportation, shopping, leisure, dining, and cultural activities.
Between July 2019 and December 2021, a total of 21,590 Iberia passengers turned their air connection at Terminal 4 into a tourist stop in the capital, benefiting from the advantages offered by this programme. Travellers from Brazil (25.2%) and the United States (10.3%), were the ones who most demanded this service.
The Councillor for Tourism explained that connectivity is one of the pillars of Madrid’s Strategic Plan for Tourism 2020-23. According to Maíllo, Madrid must take advantage of its excellent conditions and strategic location as a gateway from Latin America to Europe, emphasising its strong airport when promoting air connections. "Programmes like Stopover Hola Madrid help boost connectivity, increase the visibility of the city among long-haul travellers, and drive tourism", she said.
“With Stopover Hola Madrid, we not only want to improve our customers’ experience and increase the number of visitors to Madrid, but also strengthen the position of our Madrid hub as a key connection between Europe, the US, and Latin America. 80% of the tourists who visit Spain arrive by plane and reinforcing the Madrid hub will allow it to evolve towards a new tourism model capable of generating greater wealth and more employment; a less seasonal model that will give us greater international projection,” added Ms López Solás.
Promotion in the US
In addition, on 1 June Iberia will debut its direct flights to Washington DC and Dallas, and resume flights to San Francisco, so that this summer it will offer eight destinations in the US: New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston, in addition to the cities mentioned above: Washington DC, Dallas, and San Francisco.
The city of Madrid will be part of the inaugural flight to Washington DC, which will be operated by an A330-200, with registration EC-MKI, adorned with images of the Puerta de Alcalá, the Retiro Park, the Royal Palace and the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree.
“It is our way of bringing a little bit of Madrid to all the destinations we serve. On this occasion, it will be enjoyed by passengers at the Washington-Dulles airport, but throughout the summer these images will be seen in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and San José de Costa Rica, among other cities,” pointed out Ms López Solás, Iberia’s Commercial Network Development and Alliances Director.
And, coinciding with Iberia's inaugural flight to Washington DC, representatives of the Madrid City Council will have the opportunity to meet with organisations, companies, and travel agencies to work on the joint promotion of the Madrid destination in the United States.
During these events, the city’s Tourism Department will focus on promoting Madrid's tourism potential and the latest developments in the capital. The aim is to strengthen its position in this key market, in accordance with the guidelines set out in its new Strategic Tourism Plan, which emphasises the importance of promoting the Madrid destination in the US, emphasising segments such as premium and business and incentive travel.
More flights to United States than in 2019
This year, Iberia is more committed than ever to the United States, and is already offering a capacity of 4% more than in the 2019, before the pandemic. The US is the Spanish airline’s intercontinental market with the most destinations
and frequencies.
Specifically, this summer Iberia will operate up to 120 weekly flights between Madrid and the United States. In addition to these new destinations, the airline is increasing its frequencies to Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York:
Support for Talent in Madrid
Numerous cultural and sporting activities take place in Madrid this quarter, and Iberia is present at all the major events, supporting Spanish talent in all its manifestations, under its Talent on Board initiative.
The PLATINO Awards for Ibero-American cinema were held in early April, with Iberia sponsoring and presenting the audience awards. It will also take part in PhotoESPAÑA, from 1 June to 28 August, with an urban exhibition by the photographer María Platero, some of whose works are currently on display at the Espacio Iberia on Calle Velázquez. The airline will also be at Mad Cool Festival, the great musical event that will take place in Madrid from 6 to 10 July.
Iberia Lands in the Madrid City Centre 
On 17 May, Iberia landed in the centre of Madrid, on Calle Velázquez 37, with Espacio Iberia. Today, the airline and the Madrid City Council held their presentation at this 350sq m venue, where Iberia’s customers and the general public can enjoy its new in-flight meals from the comfort of its Business, Premium Economy, and Economy seats.
Visitors can also enjoy wine tastings with a sommelier from the Club del Vino, beer tastings with a Mahou sommelier, and a showcooking event by one of the Do&Co chefs. On weekends, visitors will have the chance to enjoy a VR experience which will allow them to fly over the streets of Manhattan.
The Espacio Iberia will also offer visitors the chance to learn about the history of the airline's uniforms and try on the garments designed by Teresa Helbig, which the airline's employees will debut on 1 June, as well as the iconic uniforms designed by Elio Berhanyer, Pertegaz, Alfredo Caral, and Adolfo Dominguez.
At the Espacio Iberia, visitors will also be able to purchase a range of collectibles, such as models of Iberia planes, replicas of historical posters, and the bag designed by Teresa Helbig that the airline’s employees will use from 1 June, as part of their new uniform.
The Espacio Iberia is on Calle Velázquez, 37, and is open every day, until 30 June, from 12pm to 9pm, Monday to Sunday, including holidays.
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