Iberia adds Belize to its network in Central America through an agreement with Tag Airlines

27 January 2023

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The two airlines strengthened ties at Fitur with an interline agreement, which will allow Iberia customers to travel to this country and to other destinations in the interior of Guatemala such as Flores, Tikal, and Puerto Barrios.
The president and CEO of Iberia, Javier Sánchez-Prieto, met at Fitur with the president of Guatemala, Alejando Giammattei. The signing of the agreement between the two airlines was attended by Marcela Toriello and Julio Gamero, president and CEO of TAG Airlines, respectively.
Iberia also held meetings with INGUAT authorities and signed a Letter of Intent to carry out a tourism promotion agreement with Guatemala, the partner country for this edition of Fitur.

In the framework of the 2023 International Tourism Fair of Madrid (Fitur), Iberia and TAG Airlines, the flag carrier of Guatemala, signed an interline agreement allowing both airlines to sell one another’s tickets and routes, with the main objective of boosting connectivity between Guatemala and Europe.

With this agreement, Iberia incorporates Belize as a new Central American destination, as well as offering new destinations in the interior of Guatemala, such as the renowned archaeological site of Tikal, Flores, and Puerto Barrios, among others. Likewise, travellers from the Central American nation will be able to connect to more than 100 destinations in Europe.

Víctor Moneo, Iberia’s Director of Strategic Alliances and Agreements, says that this agreement with TAG Airlines “is another example of our commitment to Latin America, a region that is key for us. In Guatemala, in fact, we recently increased our frequencies and already operate a daily flight, while this alliance with TAG Airlines will allow us to offer a greater range of options for customers who want to travel between that country and Europe“.

Also present at the signing of the agreement were Marcela Toriello, President of TAG Airlines, and Julio Gamero, CEO of TAG Airlines, who emphasised that the alliance with Iberia will directly benefit international passengers, who will have more travel destinations to choose from.

A Commitment to Boost Tourism

At Fitur 2023, a Letter of Intent was signed with the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT), represented by its Director General, Anayansy Rodríguez.

The aim of this agreement is to bolster the commitment to work on a tourism promotion campaign for 2023, which has been carried out over the last few years and seeks to promote Guatemala’s extraordinary cultural and natural wealth and the diversity of its heritage – among which the country’s varied flora and fauna, as well as its natural landmarks, stand out.

Guatemala, considered by many as the “country of eternal spring”, has a very pleasant temperature for tourism throughout the year, along with a wide range of attractive destinations, with more than 309 protected areas, 33 volcanoes and 3,000 archaeological sites, which has increased travellers’ interest in outdoor and adventure activities in this country.

This commitment between Iberia and Guatemala goes hand in hand with the country’s presence at Fitur, given that it was the guest nation at this year’s edition.

Almost 200,000 Seats between Guatemala and Spain

Iberia has been strengthening its position in Guatemala and, in fact, recently increased its weekly frequencies to seven, bringing connectivity between the two countries back to daily flights. This increase in capacity, which came into effect in January 2023, represents a full return to pre-pandemic figures. It also allows Iberia to increase the number of seats available for travel between Guatemala and Spain to almost 200,000 this year.

It is worth noting that the end of 2022 marked the 55th year since Iberia started flying to Guatemala.

Strengthening the Focus on Latin America

Iberia is a leader in connectivity with Latin America, a region that will once again be one of the airline’s main destinations in 2023. With 18 destinations in 16 countries and an offer of around 260 weekly flights, Iberia attended Fitur to further strengthen its ties with this region, which is at the heart of its corporate strategy.