Iberia Express

Is Iberia Express safe?

Yes. Iberia Express has flown for Iberia from Madrid since 2012 without a crash, a death or a written-off aircraft. We score it 86, one point above its parent Iberia (85), which carries older accidents and a long-haul network, and below Vueling (88). The points it loses come from a mixed fleet with A320s built in 2003, a fuel-planning error in 2024 and a runway incursion in 2026 that is still under investigation.

Most passengers never book it by name. Iberia Express flies short and medium-haul routes under Iberia flight numbers, so a Madrid to Tenerife or Palma ticket on iberia.com may say "operated by Iberia Express". In June 2025 it had 25 Airbus A320s and A321neos.

Has Iberia Express ever had an accident?

Only one event meets the ICAO definition of an accident. On 30 May 2025, an A320 cruising at 32,000 feet over Cuenca province hit turbulence and dropped at least 425 feet before climbing back. Three of the four cabin crew were standing at their trolleys, and two were seriously hurt. The flight continued to its destination. Spain's CIAIAC is investigating (A-014/2025).

That is a light mark. No aircraft has been seriously damaged, and no passenger has been badly hurt in the airline's 14 years.

The incidents that matter

Low fuel at Tenerife, February 2024. An A320 from Madrid to Tenerife North held for 25 minutes in fog, tried an approach and went around. The crew then diverted to Tenerife South with 2,100 kg of fuel on board, declared a mayday for low fuel and landed with 1,105 kg, below the 1,190 kg final reserve. The CIAIAC found the airline's planned fuel for that diversion was too small. Iberia Express then lengthened the planned diversion route from 21 to about 30 minutes of flying. This is the event that weighs most in our score, because it came from the airline's own planning.

Runway incursion at Lanzarote, September 2026. An A320 leaving for Madrid crossed the hold line at the end of runway 21 and turned half onto the runway while a Ryanair 737 MAX was rolling out after landing from the other end. The Ryanair crew braked and turned off about 500 metres short of it. Spain's air safety agency AESA is investigating. We count it now and will update the note when the findings are out.

Loss of separationLoss of separationWhen two aircraft come closer to each other than the minimum distance air traffic rules require. A reported near miss in the UK is called an airprox.More in the glossary over Madrid, May 2025. An Iberia Express A321neo climbing out of Barajas came too close to a Cessna Citation at about 24,000 feet, and a collision-avoidance alert told one crew to manoeuvre. The CIAIAC blamed the controllers, who were working two merged sectors at once.

The rest of the record is routine: engine shutdowns, bird strikes and a smoke-in-cockpit diversion, all ending in normal landings.

Iberia Express or Iberia: who flies your plane?

Iberia Express is a separate airline with its own certificate, its own pilots and cabin crew, and its own safety management. It shares a brand, flight numbers and the Madrid hub with Iberia. Iberia is an IATA member, which requires an IOSAIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary safety audit. The member list does not show subsidiaries, so Iberia Express is not on it, but IATA's IOSA registry lists Iberia Express on its own, with a registration valid until 31 May 2027. Both answer to Spain's AESA under EU rules and both hold IOSA, so both score 90 for oversight.

There has been tension over its future. In June 2025 Iberia's management said Iberia Express would stay but grow only if its pilots accepted a new contract. Labour disputes rarely change safety directly, but they can mean strikes and late changes of aircraft or crew.

How old are Iberia Express planes?

It depends on the aircraft. The A321neos are new: one involved in a 2025 report was built in 2020. The A320s came from Iberia's fleet and are much older; the one in the 2024 fuel case was built in 2003. Airbus A320s of that age are safe when well maintained, but they lack the newer engines and some cockpit updates. Iberia Express does not publish an average age, which keeps our confidence at medium.

Flying Iberia Express to the islands

• Keep your belt on in cruise. The only accident in the airline's history was turbulence at cruising altitude, and it hurt crew who were standing.
• Expect diversions to Tenerife South in fog. Tenerife North sits at about 600 metres and often lies in cloud. A diversion is a normal safety step, and since 2024 the airline carries more fuel for it.
• Book an A321neo if you can. On busy routes such as Madrid to the Canary Islands, the A321neo is the newest aircraft in the fleet.

How we scored it

Fourteen years without a crash or a write-offHull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary (93) and EU oversight with its own IOSA registrationIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary (90) carry the score. The old A320s keep the fleet at 72, the 2024 fuel case and the 2026 runway incursion hold incidents at 78, and a mostly easy network with Canary Islands weather sits at 85. Together that gives 86.