Iberia cuts long haul flights

Since its merger with British Airways, Iberia has cut more than 10 percent of its European flights, and now has come the turn of the long distance, where the company headed by Antonio Vázquez cut operations that 8% of large aircraft in its fleet.

These cuts are attributed to the worsening of the crisis, which cut short the intercontinental expansion of Iberia. As reported in the financial daily Cinco Dias, the airline will fly three of its 36 long-haul aircraft and some direct flights in Brazil, Argentina and South Africa.

The direction of Iberiain recent days held meetings with the main unions represented in its workforce to announce a new strategy involving significant cuts in intercontinental operation for the coming months.

The lack of efficiency due to their high consumption in the aircraft long-haul fleet and the resurgence of the crisis are the arguments that have been transferred to plants as a justification for a reduction in scheduled and two Airbus 340 in November next month and February and a third in June.

The long-haul fleet Iberia currently consists of 36 aircraft Airbus 340 model, so that the measure will be an 8% cut in capacity. The new A 330 aircraft will not begin arriving until the end of 2012.

According to published five days, officials of Iberia explained that at first routes will be eliminated as a result of this adjustment will be direct flights between Madrid and destinations in Fortaleza and Recife in Brazil that had opened just over a year. From now on these two destinations will be offered as an extension of the route to São Paulo, using code share flights with the airline Gol carioca.

The company did not confirm the removal of the third apparatus, but acknowledged that "being studied", like the suspension of "some frequencies" in the paths ofCordoba inArgentina andJohannesburg inSouth Africa.