Sunday, August 4, 2024
reading time: 2 minutes
Iberia celebrated the 70th anniversary of its air link to New York on August 3, 1954, with the inauguration of a memorable flight aboard the Santa María, one of its three giant aircraft. The inaugural flight from Madrid to New York, which was challenged by weather delays, took 15 hours, although typical flights lasted nine to ten hours. The airline began regular operations five days after the first flight, seating 19 passengers in first class and 55 in economy.
In a nostalgic nod to this momentous event, Andrés Iwasaki, a veteran cabin crew member on Spanish Airlines’ long-haul flights, treated passengers on flight IB6251 on August 3, 2024, to a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” to mark the occasion with a special performance.
Initially, the historic route operated three times a week with tickets set at $436 for first class and $334 for economy. Now, Iberia has increased its frequency to twice daily, offering fares as low as €234 for economy and €1,486 for business class for round-trip flights.
The success of this route is evident in the growth in the number of passengers, from about 2,000 passengers in the first few months to more than 7,300 passengers the following year, reaching more than 2.2 million passengers by 1979.
The introduction of the Super Constellations in 1952 revolutionized Iberia’s transatlantic service, enhancing speed, range and passenger comfort by allowing flights at higher altitudes to overcome bad weather. Named after Christopher Columbus’ ships – the Santa María, Nina and Pinta – these aircraft greatly expanded international routes to destinations such as Havana and Buenos Aires.
Today’s operations include the Airbus A350-900, renowned for its quiet operation and fuel efficiency, which is 30 to 35 percent more fuel efficient than previous models. The aircraft seats 348 passengers in business, premium economy and economy classes and is a staple on the twice-daily Madrid-New York route. In addition, Iberia now connects seven additional US cities, offering a total of 1.7 million seats annually and maintaining 130 weekly transatlantic flights, demonstrating the enduring strength and growth of this historic route.
