Iberia, the Spanish subsidiary of the IAG Group, has announced it is launching a new nonstop route between Madrid-Barajas (MAD) and Doha (DOH). 

The new daily flight between the Spanish and Qatari capitals will start on December 11, 2023, and will be operated by A330-200 aircraft fitted with 288 seats in a two-class configuration (19 seats in business and 269 in economy class). 

More strategically significant is the fact that Iberia will also join an existing partnership between British Airways and Qatar Airways. In addition to the partnership through the broader oneworld alliance, British Airways and Qatar Airways collaborate in an even closer way on routes between the two countries, facilitating connectivity for each other’s passengers at their respective hubs and offering integrated customer support and interlinking frequent flyer programs.  

Passengers on both airlines are likely to benefit from the complementarity of Qatar Airways and Iberia’s networks. While the Spanish flag carrier has a strong presence in Europe and Latin America, it has almost no presence in Asia and the Middle East, where Qatar Airways has an extensive network. 

Qatar Airways currently operates up to 18 weekly nonstop frequencies between Doha and Madrid.