Iberia’s First 75 Years with Latin America

• On 22 September 1946 Iberia launched the first commercial air route between Europe and Latin America

• To mark the 75^th anniversary of the maiden flight from Madrid to Buenos Aires, Iberia is giving a reception in Madrid’s august Casa de América building, to be attended by Spain’s Secretary of State for Ibero-America, representatives of the embassies of the countries of the region and of the Madrid Council, and leading exponents of Latin American culture and sport.

• The event will see the debut of the preview of the documentary “Volando” [“Flying”], a song of praise to Iberia’s employees and to its Airbus A350 fleet, which will be presented at the Premios Platino awards for Ibero-American cinema.

• Also at the Casa de América, Iberia, in partnership with Spain’s international news agency EFE, today opens an exhibition of images of those 75 years criss-crossing the Atlantic.

• Iberia is gradually resuming its Latin American flight programme, and in the upcoming winter season it will operate more than 200 direct flights per week to 17 destinations in 15 Latin American nations.

• The Spanish airline has maintained connectivity between Spain and Latin America throughout the pandemic, and operated more than 40 repatriation flights.

This week Iberia is celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the launch of the first commercial air route between Europe and Latin America, a region that remains the Spanish airline’s principal market, and the focus of its strategy in recent years. The Madrid-Buenos Aires route that was opened on 22 September, 1946 soon became the first weekly air bridge between Europe and Latin America, making Madrid the gateway for travellers in both directions.

On that date an Iberia Douglas DC-4 took off from Madrid’s Barajas Airport en route to Argentina, opening what would soon become a weekly  commercial route with stops at Villa Cisneros in the then Spanish Sahara, Natal, on the Brazilian coast, Montevideo, and finally Buenos Aires. The journey, including stops, took 36 hours.

Since that date, Iberia’s services to Latin America have never been interrupted, in good times and not so good.

More info about first flights here.

Reception in the Casa de América

To mark the anniversary of the first inter-continental connectivity, Iberia is giving a reception in Madrid’s august Casa de América building, to be attended by Spain’s Secretary of State for Ibero-America, representatives of the embassies of the countries of the region and of the Madrid Council, and  leading exponents of Latin American culture and sport.

In honour of the Iberia’s role in joining people together and connecting cultures, such Atlantic-straddling cultural luminaries as composer Jorge Drexler, actress Natalia Verbeke, actor-directer Estéban Roel, and gymnast Ray Zapata will share their experiences and discuss the importance of the Spanish language itself, which Iberia regards as “its first passenger”.   

Volando, the Documentary

To debut at the Casa de América event is the preview of the documentary film “Volando” [“Flying”], a song of praise made to welcome Iberia’s Airbus A350 fleet and as a tribute to its employees. The film will be entered at the Platino Awards for Ibero-American cinema.

Its producer, Javier Limón, travelled to several Latin American countries, in addition to Spain, Portugal, and the United States, to book such highly-ranked artists as composer Michel Camillo, musical polymath Alain Pérez, and actress Inma Cuesta, for the Volando tour. 

You can download this video here. 

Photo Exhibition 

In addition, at the Casa de América Iberia and Spain’s International news agency EFE have also opened an exhibit of photographs relating to the 75-year-old air route. Visitors can admire photographs of antique aircraft and their crews, with shots taken inside the cabin during flights, and early Iberia advertising.

The exhibition is free, and is open to visitors on weekdays from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on the Saturday until 3 p.m. It closes on 27 September.

More than 200 Weekly flights to Latin America This Winter Season

Following the worst of the pandemic, Iberia has been gradually resuming its flight programme to Latin America, and in the upcoming winter season it will operate more than 200 direct flights per week to 17 destinations in 15 Latin American nations.

The airline is betting on strong growth in traffic, especially with  Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and it is also adding capacity to Uruguay and to all of Central America.

For details of the winter flight programme, click here.

Repatriation Flights and Shipments of Health Supplies and Vaccines

During the most challenging days of the pandemic, Iberia maintained connectivity between Spain and Latin America throughout the pandemic, and operated more than 40 repatriation flights to and from Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay, bring thousands of people home.

The civic-spirited airline also flew tonnes of health supplies –and later, vaccines– to El Salvador, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru.