December 11, marked a milestone for global connectivity, with the launch of Iberia’s direct flights to Doha, Qatar. The flight, IB6701, took off from Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) at 8.30am that morning with 270 passengers on board, and landed at the hub of Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport (DOH), at 5.35pm.

With the start of daily direct flights between Madrid and Doha, Iberia significantly expanded the world’s largest joint business, together with Qatar Airways and British Airways. With Madrid, London, and Doha, the three strategic partners offer unparalleled connectivity between Spain and more than 200 destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Australasia, and Africa, with the most efficient transfers at their five-star hubs.

This operation was also part of the promotional activities promoted by Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid, the Community of Madrid, and the Madrid City Council, with the collaboration of the companies and associations that together created the Madrid Tourism Board of Experts, including Iberia.

This new route is the result of the agreement between Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid and Iberia to facilitate the opening of this connection, which in turn offers 18 new connections to the Middle East, 49 connections to Asia, 17 to Africa, and six to Oceania, with a stopover in Doha. This new route is estimated to generate an economic impact for the Madrid region of €55 million in the first year.

A Commitment to Connecting with Asia

This network expansion is also key to expanding Iberia’s hub in Madrid as the preferred gateway to Europe for travellers coming from Asia, Australasia, the Middle East, and Africa.

“The daily flight between Madrid and Doha is not just the launch of a new route, which is always exciting. It goes further. We connect Asia, the Middle East, and Africa with Spain and Europe, which offers multiple options to increase and diversify Spanish connectivity with those regions, for both leisure and business,” said Fernando Candela, Iberia’s CEO.

The Chief Commercial Officer at Qatar Airways, Mr. Thierry Antinori, said: “Taking off into a new era of aviation connectivity for Spain, we are delighted to welcome Iberia to Hamad International Airport, voted by Skytrax as “Best Airport in the Middle East” for the ninth time. As part of the unique partnership between Qatar Airways, British Airways, and Iberia, passengers can enjoy the best service on the ground and in the air, while seamlessly connecting to their favourite destinations. This further bolsters Qatar as a destination of choice in the region, and Hamad International Airport as a global connector and one of the largest gateways in the Oneworld alliance gateway, with 10 of the 13 members operating there by 2024.”

Likewise, Daniel Martínez Rodríguez, Deputy Councillor for Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid, added: “With this route, which is already in operation, the Madrid government reaches one of its objectives, which is to attract visitors from Asia and the Middle East. These tourists are characterised by being high-value and long-stay visitors. In addition, our aim is to recover and build on pre-pandemic figures.”

Almudena Maíllo, Councillor for Culture, Tourism and Sports for Madrid City Council, agreed on the great importance of the launch of these flights: “With this connection, Madrid takes a qualitative leap in strategic promotion, as we open up the route to the Middle East. This is key, given the potential of the region: all the economies of the Gulf region grew by more than four percent in 2022 and growth of more than one percent is expected in the coming years. In fact, improving this connectivity allows us to return to the Asia Plan, which we launched in March at the Madrid City Tourism Forum, and to consolidate our commitment to strengthening our position as the best hub in southern Europe.”

In the words of Yolanda Perdomo, director of Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid, “This action to promote Madrid’s air connectivity is accompanied by a promotional campaign to encourage demand from countries such as the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar to visit Madrid. This initiative, implemented by Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid, consists of B2C and B2B actions to increase Madrid’s visibility and strengthen its tourist positioning in these markets. The actions underway include a digital marketing campaign with Asian celebrities, such as actors, singers and globally renowned content creators, a communication campaign on the main digital platforms, social networks and local media, co-marketing with premium segment travel agencies and paid media, as well as a radio, cable TV and outdoor campaign.”