A Record 100 Weekly Flights: Iberia's Huge US & Canada Growth Explored

Iberia is one of more than 30 European passenger airlines operating between the continent and the US/Canada. The airline will reintroduce Madrid to Toronto flights after three decades, along with brand-new service to Newark. Because of these developments, Iberia will be the tenth-largest European carrier for US/Canada flights next summer, up three places in a year.

This analysis is only based on Iberia’s Madrid operation. It does not include Spain’s second most populous city of Barcelona. Such activity is in the hands of the budget operator Level, which now has its own IATA code (LL). Despite this, Level uses Iberia’s aircraft and crew.

Iberia Plans 12 Routes From Madrid To The US & Canada

They comprise 11 routes to the US and one to Canada. Iberia began flying from the Spanish capital to Dallas/Fort Worth—a route between two oneworld hubs—in 2022. In the same year, the carrier returned to Washington Dulles, having last flown there regularly until 2013. Flights to Orlando started in October 2025. Although not announced yet, Iberia has said it’ll fly to Philadelphia.

For now, at least, two routes will begin in 2026. On March 29, when northern carriers switch to summer schedules based on IATA slot seasons, Iberia will lift off to Newark. It’ll mark the airline’s debut in New Jersey, with the 182-seat Airbus A321XLR to be used. It may have decided to fly there partly because of New York JFK’s lack of slots, at least at good times. It’ll now have a triple daily operation between Madrid and Greater New York City.

On June 13, Iberia will resume flights to Toronto after an absence of 30 years. The XLR will be deployed, with a block time of up to nine hours. Not coincidentally, Air Canada—which also serves the route with widebodies—suggests that the XLR will not perform well during the peak summer with very hot temperatures.

A Record 100 Weekly Departures

In July next year, when demand and fares will be at their highest, Iberia plans 100 weekly departures from Madrid to the US/Canada. When all operators are combined, Cirium Diio shows that it will have just under 2% of all Europe-US/Canada flights. Its share doubles when only European carriers are considered.

Iberia’s offering has risen from 81 weekly departures in July 2025, a huge growth of 23% year-over-year. Compared to before the pandemic in July 2019, they’ve increased from 57 weekly services, a rise of three quarters.

Of course, the XLR—of which Iberia was the launch customer—has been critical in its development. The 182-seater will operate four in ten of its US/Canada flights next July, doubling the proportion available in July 2025.

This US Route Had The Lowest Load…

Iberia has flown to Dallas/Fort Worth since June 2022. According to the US Department of Transportation, the carrier transported 135,000 round-trip passengers between September 2024 and August 2025.

With a seat load factor of 79%, it was the airline’s worst-performing US route in this sense. As always, it should not be considered in isolation from other factors. In contrast, Iberia’s US average load was 87%. In the same 12 months, American filled 92% of its Dallas-Madrid seats.

Booking data suggests that approximately 45% of Iberia’s Dallas passengers connected to another flight in the Spanish capital. More people traveled to/from other places in Spain than elsewhere, followed by Italy, France, Portugal, and Switzerland. The top city pair via Madrid was Dallas-Barcelona, followed by Rome, Lisbon, Milan, and Venice. Madrid is, of course, supremely well-placed for Southern European cities.