Iberia elevates inflight dining with focus on Spanish identity and personalization
This is a special feature from the April 2026 WTCE Hamburg issue of PAX International on page 22.
Iberia is responding to rising demand for healthy options with popular dishes such as its salmon poke bowl
Spain’s flag-carrier has distinguished itself as the culinary leader amongst other regional airlines, but now Iberia is taking its ambitions to new heights. Chief Customer Officer Beatriz Guillén tells PAX International this spring that the airline is leveraging cultural identity, hospitality and personalization to redefine the premium travel experience.
“Gastronomy is one of the most immediate and tangible expressions of our brand,” says Guillén. “It allows us to create a distinctive onboard experience that competitors cannot easily replicate, because it is rooted in identity rather than in generic premium positioning.”
Beatriz Guillen, Chief Customer Officer, Iberia
New benchmark for culinary concepts
Historically, long-haul has set the benchmark for culinary standards, but Iberia is closing the gap between flight segments: curated menus that feature dishes such as arroz meloso with cuttlefish, prawns and piquillo peppers — traditionally associated with a Spanish premium dining context — are now available through pre-order on shorter routes.
“Personalization has become essential,” Guillén says. “The expansion of pre-order services on short- and medium-haul routes, alongside the refresh of our long-haul menus, allows us to align product delivery more closely with demand. This improves passenger perception while increasing planning accuracy and reducing inefficiencies.”
She says this also represents a shift in mindset. Rather than adapting catering to operational constraints, Iberia is designing the service model around passenger choice and predictability, moving from reactive provisioning to demand-driven planning, reinforcing consistency and execution quality across all segments.
A notable shift is increasing preference for healthy meal choices across its passenger base. As a result, Iberia offers dishes such as the salmon poke bowl, which has quickly become one of its most popular offerings, Guillén shares.
“Around half of our passengers are international, and we are fully aware of the diversity of tastes and expectations this implies,” she says. “Our menus therefore combine internationally recognizable dishes and high-quality local products with a distinctive Spanish touch.”
Spanish ingredients and Mediterranean culinary concepts can be found on every menu across all cabin and flight lengths. Onboard delights include Spanish tapas with cold cuts, olives and almonds, and the use of Spanish olive oil for all recipes.
“We see food not as an ancillary service, but as a tangible expression of our identity,” says Guillén.
Iberia works closely with catering partner DO & CO to design and deliver its onboard culinary concepts. It also keeps its menus fresh by rotating ingredients based on seasonal availability.
Iberia customizes amenities from skincare to blankets and pillows to enhance long-haul comfort in every cabin
Relax, rest and enjoy
Defining the high standard of sustainability and quality, Iberia has prioritized comfort and well-being on each aircraft to create a fully integrated experience. This can be seen in the intuitive layout of the Business cabins and overall design: from accessible personal storage areas to lighting, bedding and seat design.
“Our objective is straightforward: to deliver consistent, high-quality comfort where every element contributes meaningfully to the overall experience,” says Guillén. “This allows us to build a more complete experience in which passengers can truly relax, rest and enjoy the journey.”
This ethos extends to amenities kits for Business and Premium Economy cabins, which are made with care and consideration. Designed by Teresa Helbig — the brand that also designs cabin crew uniforms — and developed in collaboration with Uvas Frescas, it incorporates materials derived from surplus grapes from the wines served onboard, transforming a by-product into a design element.
“Our approach is not to multiply branded items, but to provide products that are purposeful, high quality and aligned with our hospitality standards,” Guillén says. “This model allows us to integrate environmental and social impact into the product itself, rather than treating sustainability as an add-on.”
The packaging is produced from sugarcane-based material, and the kits are assembled by Envera, a social organization that supports the employment of people with disabilities. At the end of each flight, unused kits are collected and, where appropriate, returned to circulation.
From essentials such as moisturizer, lip balm, oral care items and eye mask to soft products such as blankets, pillows and mattress toppers, Iberia tailors products to each cabin to provide comfort and ease to long-haul journeys.
By weaving together a continuing commitment to its Spanish roots, Iberia is effectively re-architecting the passenger experience. It is a strategic pivot that blends personalization, sustainability and gastronomy into a single, seamless hospitality experience.
Iberia’s Business and Premium Economy amenity kits, designed by Teresa Helbig with Uvas Frescas, use materials from surplus grapes to create thoughtful, sustainable luxury
