Iberia Adds 14 Madrid–Andalusia Flights in Spain

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 29, after the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed rail line was disrupted by the Urda accident, Iberia increased capacity on its Madrid–Málaga and Madrid–Seville routes that day by 42%, adding 1,080 seats, including 720 on Málaga and 360 on Seville, and added 6 extra flights, including two round trips on Madrid–Málaga and one round trip on Madrid–Seville. On October 30, it plans to add another 8 flights and 1,760 seats, double the original plan.

On October 28, the day of the accident, Iberia had already added 520 seats in advance, raising capacity by 20% over the original plan, and supplemented capacity by deploying larger aircraft such as the Airbus A321. Together with the increases on the 29th and 30th, a total of 3,280 seats were added over the three days from October 28 to 30, 47% above the original planned capacity. The 1,080 seats added on the 29th were allocated as 720 on Málaga and 360 on Seville. The schedule for the additional flights on the 30th is: Madrid–Seville departing at 10:40 and 14:45, Seville–Madrid returning at 12:35 and 16:45; Madrid–Málaga departing at 06:30 and 18:50, Málaga–Madrid returning at 08:25 and 20:45.

Iberia has capped the maximum fare on all Madrid–Andalusia round-trip routes at EUR 99 per segment in economy class and EUR 149 per segment in business class, valid until November 8; passengers who have already purchased tickets and whose itineraries are affected by the accident may call 900 111 500 to rebook. The company said it is arranging additional flights after October 31.

Air Europa also added daily extra flights on Madrid–Málaga and Madrid–Seville the same day. On the Seville route, it added one daily round trip on top of the existing two daily round trips, bringing regular service to three round trips per day; on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays it adds another round trip, reaching up to four round trips per day.

The direct backdrop to this increase in air capacity is the collision on October 28 near Urda in the province of Toledo between a Renfe AVE train and an Iryo train, which disrupted the entire Madrid–Andalusia high-speed rail line. Renfe has suspended high-speed rail ticket sales on the corridor until December 13, and made clear that this date is a commercial sales restriction rather than a commitment to resume operations; Iryo has suspended ticket sales until November 9, and Ouigo until November 2. Renfe plans to launch alternative transport arrangements for Madrid–Andalusia from October 30, including Avant services via existing lines.