In 2015, the Argentinian Government agreed to add a codeshare agreement between Qatar Airways and Iberia, authorizing both companies to offer codeshare flights via Madrid or Barcelona in the route Doha-Buenos Aires.
Argentina officially authorized Qatar and Iberia’s renewed codeshare agreement
On Monday, the Argentinian Government published a resolution which authorizes both airlines to offer joint flights from Doha International Airport to Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport. Both airlines can use Barcelona El Prat International Airport (BCN) or Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD) as a connecting international airport.
Qatar Airways is thrilled to see Iberia’s approval of the flight segment between Madrid and Barcelona. This means it will be able to operate additional flights, as well as arrange new partnerships with both the Spanish cities and Buenos Aires.
Despite their merging, both airlines were prohibited from operating fifth freedom rights to the two cities of Madrid and Barcelona.
Qatar Airways currently operates 40 weekly flights from Qatar to Spain, making it the only airline that offers service between the two countries. The State carrier has 26 daily services from Qatar to Madrid and 14 daily services from Qatar to Barcelona, according to Cirium data.
There are four flights between Spain and Argentina
As of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways used to fly to Argentina. We were excited to hear that Qatar Airways would be resuming flights to Argentina. To our disappointment, we learned that this recent announcement marks the final nail in the coffin for those hopes. In addition, Avianca reported that Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatari Air Ltd., confirmed in June that Qatari Air would only return to Buenos Aires if it made commercial sense because it’s an expensive market.
According to data from Cirium, there are currently 34 weekly flights between Spain and Argentina. There are three companies operating in the market with Aerolíneas Argentinas (seven flights per week), Iberia (21 flights per week, seven from Barcelona and 14 from Madrid), and Air Europa (seven). Argentina is the most important country in Iberia’s South American division.
A look at the codeshare agreement between Qatar and Iberia
In 2017, Qatar and Iberia first announced their partnership. In January 2021 both companies signed an expanded codeshare agreement that enhanced the connectivity of the two airline’s complementary networks.
Iberia offers a wider range of destinations throughout the world, with more connections than ever before. With the new Qatar Airways destinations in Angola, Australia, Mozambique, New Zealand and South Africa, you can now fly from any destination on Iberia’s network to four new destinations too.