Iberia to retrofit fleet with new business
Iberia's Chief Customer Officer Beatriz Guillen confirmed a new, proprietary business class seat will debut in 2027 as part of a €6 billion investment
Iberia will introduce a brand new business class seat across its long-haul fleet starting next year. The airline's Chief Customer Officer, Beatriz Guillen, revealed the plan in an interview with Head for Points, stating the retrofit is part of a broader €6 billion 'Flight Plan 2030' investment.
Guillen said the new seat is a "brand new seat, not flown by anyone else." The airline aims to have it flying by the middle of 2027, or at least in the second half of the year. She described the timeline as "very uncertain," hoping for a debut "closer to the summer than later in the year." The retrofit program is expected to take around five years to complete across the airline's A330 and A350 aircraft, and likely its new A330neos on order.
A new premium experience
The new Sorolla Emerald lounge in Madrid's Terminal 4 offers a preview of the design philosophy for the upcoming cabins. "The Sorolla lounge hints at what we can expect from that retrofit for the feelings, the colors, the textures, the materials that we feel," Guillen said. The airline also plans to launch a completely redesigned onboard service to coincide with the new cabins, aiming to raise the premium experience across all cabins.
Unlike many competitors on transatlantic routes, Iberia does not plan to increase the number of business class seats per aircraft. Guillen explained the airline's strategy is focused on consistency for its specific market. "Our cabin sizes, we want to keep them standard," she stated. "We want to have more aircraft, therefore more premium passengers, but we don't expect to expand our premium offering per aircraft."
Current business class offerings
Passengers flying Iberia today encounter one of three different business class products, depending on the aircraft.
| Aircraft Type | Seat Type | Introduction Era |
|---|---|---|
| Early A330s & A350s | Original staggered seat | 2013 |
| Later A350 deliveries | Recaro business class seat | 2022 |
| A321XLR fleet | Lie-flat narrowbody seat | Late 2024 |
Terminal changes for UK flights
Iberia plans to move its flights to the United Kingdom and Ireland from the T4S satellite terminal to the main Terminal 4 building in Madrid. Guillen indicated the change is pending coordination with airport operator Aena and is expected "sooner rather than later." She cited ongoing expansion work in the main terminal as a factor.
This move will shorten the airport experience by eliminating the airtrain journey to the satellite. However, business class and oneworld Sapphire members will lose access to the Velazquez lounge in T4S, using the Schengen Dali lounge instead. Oneworld Emerald members, including British Airways Gold cardholders, will gain access to the new Sorolla Emerald Lounge when flying from the main terminal.
Fleet expansion and performance
The airline's long-haul fleet is set to grow from 45 aircraft today to 70 by 2030. Guillen also provided an update on the airline's eight Airbus A321XLR aircraft, the first of which was delivered in December 2024. She called it an aircraft the airline "absolutely loves," noting it will have full Starlink internet deployment within a week of the interview.
Guillen said the aircraft's net promoter score, a measure of customer loyalty, is close to that of the airline's new A350s. "That's a very promising indicator," she concluded.
