American Airlines has expanded its codeshare agreement with Iberia on intra-European routes from Madrid, Spain. The flag carrier of Spain will now carry American Airlines’ flight codes on four additional routes to European cities. This development is part of the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement (AJBA), which includes other oneworld members and International Airlines Group (IAG) subsidiaries, such as British Airways.
According to the aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool, Iberia will start carrying American Airlines’ code ‘AA’ in July on routes from Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) to Athens Airport (ATH), Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), Hamburg Airport (HAM), and Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG). Notably, American Airlines will not directly serve Budapest and Hamburg during this period.
From the United States, American Airlines has scheduled 35 weekly flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle from airports including Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport. Services to Athens are available from Charlotte, Chicago, New York-JFK, and Philadelphia. The airline announced flights from Charlotte to Athens in September 2024, with seasonal services from Philadelphia starting in March rather than May, as in the previous year.
Overall, the codeshare agreement will span 65 destinations from Madrid in July, covering major airports in Europe, North America, Africa, and the Middle East, such as Cairo International Airport and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport. Additional European airports included in the agreement are Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Dublin Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Lisbon Airport, Milan Malpensa Airport, and Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport.
In July, American Airlines will offer flights from various U.S. cities, with the codeshare agreement including destinations like Boston Logan International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport. This expansion follows Iberia’s earlier suspension of its Airbus A321XLR winter schedule to Washington, DC.
Despite the growth in their partnership, the AJBA faces scrutiny by the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The joint venture, including companies like Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Finnair, is under investigation due to alleged significant barriers to entry and expansion for new airlines on routes between the U.S. and the U.K. The CMA’s latest development on March 28 involved a notice of intention to accept commitments offered by American Airlines, IAG, and Finnair, aiming to facilitate new entries on these routes.
