Iberia´s Long-Haul Passenger Traffic Ramps Up Dramatically

The number of passengers carried on the Spanish airline´s intercontinental routes between Europe and the Americas showed a 17.6 percent increase in the second quarter with respect to the same quarter last year.

The load factor improved by 2.3 points in the first two quarters from 2005.This spike was strongest in Iberia´s new Business Plus, its upgraded long-haul business class, which showed an 8.5-point hike in seat occupancy levels.

A year after launch, Iberia Plus brought a 20 percent increase in overseas business-class seat sales in the first six months of 2006.

On its long-haul routes Iberia operates 260-seat A-340/300s and 352-seat 340/600s. These larges aircraft have made it possible to increase the number of seats on overseas flights without reducing the space between rows, and while increasing passenger comfort.