“Certainly, we will continue to grow with absolute certainty”. This is how the CEO of Iberia Express, Carlos Gómez, has ruled out any negative impact on business in the Canaries due to the acquisition of Air Europa by IAG -the parent company of Iberia Express. Gómez expressed these sentiments during the celebration of the first 20 million passengers transported by the airline between the Peninsula and the various Canary Island airports.
The top executive of the Spanish low-cost airline has reservations about making any statements regarding the acquisition process. IAG is currently working on offering several of the routes operated by Air Europa to competitors to convince Brussels that the operation does not lead to excessive market concentration. The European Commission (EC) will provide its opinion, which is binding, in early August.
“We will be watchful because a lower supply can affect prices”
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Until then, “little can be said,” stated the Tourism Councillor of the Government of the Canary Islands, Jéssica de León, who admitted that her team remains watchful, “because a decrease in seat availability can impact prices.” How? By increasing them, and that is one of the main complaints from air passengers, especially during peak periods such as Christmas or summer season shifts.
Iberia Express aims to counteract sudden price hikes. “In fact, we are increasing capacity during off-peak hours,” stated Carlos Gómez. The scheduling of additional frequencies, “even at night,” as highlighted by the CEO, becomes more prevalent during these critical periods.
The stated goal of Iberia Express is to meet the needs of its “primary market,” Canary Islands. Regarding this, Gómez mentioned that the company has “established strong air bridges with Tenerife and Gran Canaria” this summer; with ten daily connections to the former and nine to the latter. The tourism influx brought by the airline is significant, but even more so is “understanding the needs of residents.”
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Seat availability for this summer is 15% higher than a year ago
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Throughout 2023, the company exceeded 2.8 million passengers, and for the current summer season alone, two million seats have been scheduled. This level of supply is 15% higher than last summer and “almost 40%” more than in 2019, according to company data. In addition to the established frequencies for the capital islands, there are “up to three connecting flights to Lanzarote, two to Fuerteventura, and up to two to La Palma.” Between June and September, there will be two weekly flights on the Oviedo-Tenerife and Vigo-Tenerife routes.
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