Iberia has restarted flights between Aldolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) using Airbus A321XLR aircraft. Iberia is the launch customer of the A321XLR. The route has been seasonal in the past but moves to ear round for 2025.
The inaugural flight of 2025 just touched down at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), making it the second U.S. destination served by Iberia using the A321XLR, the other being Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
The carrier will initially operate the route 4x weekly before increasing service to 6x weekly later this month through the end of August. For September and October, Iberia will run daily service on the route.
The 3,816 mile flight is blocked at 9h 10m westbound and 7h 50m eastbound. The flights will operate on the following schedule:
| Flight | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|
| IB 361 (MAD-IAD) | 11:50a | 3:00p |
| IB 362 (IAD-MAD) | 4:35p | 6:35a (+1) |
While Washington Dulles is a major hub for Star Alliance carrier United Airlines, Iberia is a member of the OneWorld alliance. Though the carrier won’t have much connectivity at IAD, Washington D.C. is full of OneWorld frequent flyers thanks to American Airlines’ hub at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) just down the road.
Personally, I’m not a fan of long-haul flying on narrowbody jets but, given the fact that this route connects the capital of Spain and the United States, it should be easy for the carrier to sell seats on this flight regardless of aircraft type.
Summary
Iberia has launched year round flights between Madrid and Washington Dulles using Airbus A321XLR aircraft. The carrier will operate the route 4x weekly, expanding service during the summer months. While I’m not a fan of narrowbody long-haul flying, the fact that this flight links the capital of Spain and the United States should help fill the seats on this route.