24 March 2016
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Iberia Express, in association with the Spanish Tourist Board, celebrated the imminent launch of its new Cork – Madrid route with a special event at the Imperial Hotel, Cork for local travel agents. The route from Cork Airport is just one of 11 Spanish routes this summer for anyone looking to book their summer holiday.
The new route to the Spanish capital is the first Iberia Express service from the airport and will operate twice weekly, every Saturday and Wednesday. It takes off from Cork Airport from 18th June and will fly right through the summer months until September, making it a perfect option for short or long stay breaks in mainland Spain.
Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport said: “Madrid is a stunning city, packed with loads to see and do. It is renowned for its rich cultural and artist heritage, shopping, plethora of sporting event as well as a bustling nightlife; making it a city with something for everyone.
“We’re delighted to have Iberia Express as our latest airline partner and we have been working with them and local travel stakeholders to help ensure that the Madrid route will be successful. It’s great to see so many Cork travel agents out to celebrate and support the new route,” he added.
Managing Director of the Spanish Tourism Office in Dublin, Gonzalo Ceballos also commended the launch of the new service. “The new Cork Madrid service will give travellers from the region even greater choice to summer sun in Spain. There’s excellent connectivity from Cork Airport to a wide range of destinations across the country.
“Spain is easily the most popular sun destination from Ireland, with an estimated 1.4 million Irish tourists expected to visit the country this year,” he said.
According to Silvia Mosquera, Chief Commercial Officer, Iberia Express, Munster travellers using the new service to the Spanish capital will be able to fly via Madrid to many Iberia Group’s destinations in Spain, Marrakech in Morocco and Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Montevideo, Sao Paulo or Santiago de Chile in Latin America. “The new Madrid route represents an important milestone for Iberia Express as it’s our second route from Ireland to Spain. Our customers will be able to fly from Cork to Spain and other Iberia’s destinations at competitive prices. At the same time, we’ll offer an additional non-stop flight to the thousands of Spanish students who fly to Ireland each year to improve their English. So our new flight will also support the local economy.”
The airline will operate an Airbus A320 aircraft on the route, with 180 seats across business and coach.
