DOHA: marked a milestone for global connectivity, with the launch of Iberia’s direct flights to Doha, Qatar. The flight, IB6701, took off from Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) at 08:30 that morning with 270 passengers on board, and landed at the hub of Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport (DOH), at 17:35.
With the start of daily direct flights between Madrid and Doha, Iberia significantly expanded the world’s largest joint business, together with Qatar Airways and British Airways. With Madrid, London, and Doha, the three strategic partners offer unparalleled connectivity between Spain and more than 200 destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Australasia, and Africa, with the most efficient transfers at their 5-star hubs.
This operation was also part of the promotional activities promoted by Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid, the Community of Madrid, and the Madrid City Council, with the collaboration of the companies and associations that together created the Madrid Tourism Board of Experts, including Iberia.
This new route is the result of the agreement between Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid and Iberia to facilitate the opening of this connection, which in turn offers 18 new connections to the Middle East, 49 connections to Asia, 17 to Africa, and 6 to Oceania, with a stopover in Doha. This new route is estimated to generate an economic impact for the Madrid region of €55 million in the first year.
A Commitment to Connecting with Asia
This network expansion is also key to expanding Iberia’s hub in Madrid as the preferred gateway to Europe for travellers coming from Asia, Australasia, the Middle East, and Africa.
“The daily flight between Madrid and Doha is not just the launch of a new route, which is always exciting. It goes further. We connect Asia, the Middle East, and Africa with Spain and Europe, which offers multiple options to increase and diversify Spanish connectivity with those regions, for both leisure and business,” said Fernando Candela, Iberia’s CEO.
The Chief Commercial Officer at Qatar Airways, Mr. Thierry Antinori, said: “Taking off into a new era of aviation connectivity for Spain, we are delighted to welcome Iberia to Hamad International Airport, voted by Skytrax as “Best Airport in the Middle East” for the ninth time. As part of the unique partnership between Qatar Airways, British Airways, and Iberia, passengers can enjoy the best service on the ground and in the air, while seamlessly connecting to their favourite destinations. This further bolsters Qatar as a destination of choice in the region, and Hamad International Airport as a global connector and one of the largest gateways in the Oneworld alliance gateway, with 10 of the 13 members operating there by 2024.”
Likewise, Daniel Martínez Rodríguez, Deputy Councillor for Culture, Tourism and Sports of the Community of Madrid, added: “With this route, which is already in operation, the Madrid government reaches one of its objectives, which is to attract visitors from Asia and the Middle East. These tourists are characterised by being high-value and long-stay visitors. In addition, our aim is to recover and build on pre-pandemic figures.”
Almudena Maíllo, Councillor for Culture, Tourism and Sports for Madrid City Council, agreed on the great importance of the launch of these flights: “With this connection, Madrid takes a qualitative leap in strategic promotion, as we open up the route to the Middle East. This is key, given the potential of the region: all the economies of the Gulf region grew by more than 4% in 2022 and growth of more than 1% is expected in the coming years. In fact, improving this connectivity allows us to return to the Asia Plan, which we launched in March at the Madrid City Tourism Forum, and to consolidate our commitment to strengthening our position as the best hub in southern Europe.”
In the words of Yolanda Perdomo, director of Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid, “This action to promote Madrid’s air connectivity is accompanied by a promotional campaign to encourage demand from countries such as the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar to visit Madrid. This initiative, implemented by Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid, consists of B2C and B2B actions to increase Madrid’s visibility and strengthen its tourist positioning in these markets. The actions underway include a digital marketing campaign with Asian celebrities, such as actors, singers and globally renowned content creators, a communication campaign on the main digital platforms, social networks and local media, co-marketing with premium segment travel agencies and paid media, as well as a radio, cable TV and outdoor campaign.”
Rahul Awatramani, Associate Director at Madrid Turismo by IFEMA Madrid and Head of Asia and Middle Eastern markets, said: “I believe what we have done here today is a huge step in the right direction and I look forward to seeing the impact this action will have on Madrid’s tourism and economy. Our goal is to position Madrid as a premier destination for the Asian and Middle Eastern travellers through its unique blend of historical landmarks, world-class art, culinary delights, and vibrant lifestyle. To achieve this, we are currently executing several activities in these markets such as: Co-marketing, Digital Marketing campaigns, Travel trade sales, PR & Media and Consumer Marketing. I am hopeful that the success of these actions will eventually allow us to expand the scope of this project to include more countries such as India, Vietnam and several others in the near future.”
One Daily Flight
Iberia now operates daily direct flights between Madrid and Doha with Airbus A330-200, seating 288 customers in Business and Economy Classes:
Flight number
Origin-destination
Days of operation
Departure Time
Arrival Time
IB 6701
Madrid-Doha
Daily
08:30
17:35
IB 6700
Doha-Madrid
Daily
00:55
07.10
These will complement Qatar Airways twice-daily operations:
Flight number
Origin-destination
Days of operation
Departure Time
Arrival Time
QR 150
Madrid-Doha
Daily
15:25
23:55
QR 152
Madrid-Doha
Daily
21:25
05:55
QR 149
Doha-Madrid
Daily
08:15
13:55
QR 151
Doha-Madrid
Daily
14:20
19:55
The combined schedule offers morning, afternoon, and evening departures for travellers between the two capital cities, and hundreds of connections in each hub. Whether travelling from Madrid to Bali, Sydney to Ibiza, Lisbon to Maputo, or Doha to Malaga, the combined networks will provide fast and reliable itineraries to all passengers.
The partnership also offers members of the airlines’ loyalty programmes the benefit of a common currency, Avios. Members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Iberia Plus, and British Airways Executive Club will be able to combine their balance to earn and redeem Avios on flights with all three airlines.
