Iberia unveils plans for centenary celebrations
Iberia will celebrate 100 years in 2027
Iberia has unveiled the program of activities it will organize throughout 2027 to mark its centenary. The airline presented some of the initiatives it will develop to share this milestone with its customers, employees, institutions, businesses and society as a whole. During the event, Iberia Chairman and CEO Marco Sansavini also unveiled the special centenary livery that will adorn some of the airline’s aircraft.
“The centenary events will pay tribute to the more than one billion people who have flown with Iberia over the past 100 years, to all the employees who have made every flight possible throughout this century and to everyone whose family, business or cultural ties have been strengthened by our connectivity,” said Marco Sansavini, Chairman and CEO of Iberia, during the presentation.
Iberia is beginning the countdown to an anniversary that looks both to the past and the future: 100 years of history and a new chapter of transformation to keep flying for the next 100 years.
Celebrating a century of connections
The main institutional centenary event will take place in June 2027, the month in which Iberia was founded, at La Muñoza’s hangars. The company will celebrate its history and future at its operational centre, where its aircraft are maintained and prepared for flight every day.
The centenary will have a special focus on Latin America, Iberia’s main market. Casa de América will host an initiative dedicated to the ties built between Spain and the region over the past century, as well as to Spanish as a shared language. The company will also celebrate talent and creativity through the Generation of ’27 project, which will focus on the young people who, like that generation did a century ago, are now shaping Spain’s future.
Iberia will also highlight its relationship with Spanish businesses at an event organized in partnership with CEOE at the Madrid Stock Exchange. In addition, the airline will celebrate its centenary alongside the Juan Sebastián de Elcano training ship, which will also turn 100 in 2027 and shares Horacio Echevarrieta as its founder with Iberia.
The 2027 edition of FITUR will also be particularly special. Iberia will have a larger stand, which will become the centre of numerous meetings with representatives from countries, travel agencies and tour operators, as well as provide a platform to showcase some of the centenary initiatives.
Together with Madrid City Council, the company will pay tribute to the Iberia employees who have been such a prominent presence in the Barajas district for the past century by installing the tail fin of one of its aircraft at a landmark location.
The company is also preparing a book and a documentary charting Iberia’s history through its audiovisual archive and the testimonies of those who have shaped it.
The Iberia Foundation will also be launched in 2027. It will build on the company’s experience in humanitarian aid and the solidarity of its employees, customers and partners to multiply its social impact and create opportunities through connectivity.
The centenary celebrations are also set to include a major air show at Cuatro Vientos airfield.
Iberia spaces in Spain and Latin America
One of the main hubs for the centenary activities will be Madrid’s Iberia Space, which next year will be located at number 44 Calle Alcalá, one of the capital’s main thoroughfares, and will remain open for much of 2027. It will host a program of activities related to aviation, culture, social impact and the future of the company, as well as meetings with customers, institutions and members of the public.
The celebrations will also travel to other Spanish cities and, in Latin America, to Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Mexico City and São Paulo, where Iberia will open new Iberia Spaces.
The program will include commercial promotions, initiatives with travel agencies and tour operators, as well as new activities that Iberia will unveil over the coming months.
Enhancing the passenger experience
Throughout 2027, Iberia will continue to develop new initiatives to enhance the passenger experience, both on the ground and on board. One of the main milestones will be the retrofit of the cabins on its long-haul aircraft. The new design, intended to provide even higher levels of quality and comfort, will be unveiled in the coming months.
The airline will also continue with the gradual rollout of free, high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet. In addition, Iberia is working with the Royal Academy of Gastronomy to ensure that the most emblematic products of Spanish cuisine take centre stage in its culinary offering, both on board and in its premium lounges.
Iberia employees at the heart of the centenary
Iberia’s current and former employees will play a central role in the celebrations. The company expects around 60,000 people who currently form, or have formed, part of Iberia to visit the Iberia Spaces and attend the various events planned in Spain and Latin America. All of them will be recognized for their contribution to Iberia’s history.
The initiatives planned include IB100, a special flight that will symbolically retrace the century shaped by the people of Iberia. Concerts, gatherings and other activities will also be organised for employees, alongside air displays and events connected with the passion for flying.
Flight Plan 2030
The anniversary will also provide an opportunity to recognize Iberia’s ongoing development and its ability to meet the challenges of the future. Just over a year ago, the company presented Flight Plan 2030, a roadmap backed by an investment of €6 billion to support profitable and sustainable growth and help consolidate Madrid-Barajas as one of Europe’s leading hubs.
Iberia has grown from 43 long-haul aircraft at the beginning of 2025 to 51 today, with the aim of reaching around 70, according to the September press release.
The addition of new A321XLR aircraft has enabled Iberia to add destinations such as Orlando, Recife, Fortaleza, Toronto and Monterrey to its network.
The airline has also begun the gradual rollout of Starlink, which provides free, high-speed Wi-Fi across its fleet, and has opened the Emerald Lounge Sorolla at Madrid-Barajas Terminal 4 for Platino, Platino Prime, Infinita and Infinita Prime passengers.
Flight Plan 2030 includes a strong focus on technology, digitalization and artificial intelligence, with the aim of providing passengers with a more personalized and seamless experience.
This is complemented by the expansion of the company’s industrial capabilities in recent months, following the award of the LEAP Premier MRO licence and the creation of IAG Engine Tech.
