This year is the 75th anniversary of the inauguration of the Madrid-Santander route. On July 4, 1950, the first flight between the two cities took off, becoming a fundamental connection for the economic and social development of both communities. To celebrate this anniversary, the Government of Cantabria and Iberia reaffirmed at FITUR their commitment to connectivity between Madrid and Santander.
The first flights between the two cities were aboard a Douglas DC-3, a twin-engine low-wing aircraft model with a capacity for up to 28 passengers and a crew of 2 to 3 people. This aircraft reached a cruising speed of 280 km/h and, being unpressurized, flew below 4,000 meters altitude.
At the beginning of its operations that year, Iberia connected Madrid and Santander with three weekly frequencies, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The close relationship between Iberia and Cantabria has meant that, over the years, different airline aircraft have been christened with names related to this autonomous community. Thus, in 1967, a DC-9/32 with a capacity for one hundred passengers (10 in first class and 90 in economy class) was baptized with the name “Ciudad de Santander”.
Already in this century, in 2005, an Airbus A321 with a capacity for between 186 and 194 passengers was named “Cantabria”. In 2017, Iberia introduced an Airbus A321 with a special decoration on its fuselage promoting Cantabria and the Cabárceno Nature Park.
Today, Iberia remains committed to Cantabria's connectivity, offering up to 22 weekly frequencies between Madrid and Santander, with flights available from €35 each way. To improve connectivity, Iberia has included an additional overnight stay at the Cantabrian airport. This ensures early flights at least four days a week, from Monday to Friday, facilitating both air connections with Madrid and business travel.
In addition, last December, Cantur, a public company under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, in charge of promoting tourism in Cantabria, agreed to jointly carry out promotional and marketing actions in airline media and support aimed at the Madrid market, to promote Cantabria as a tourist destination.
