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News / This US airport gets 9th long-haul airline from Europe
New European airline arrives in the U.S.
In 2025, around 40 US airports will have nonstop flights to Europe. These flights will involve over 40 scheduled passenger airlines from the US, Europe, or elsewhere (Air Tahiti, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines, all with fifth-freedom traffic rights).
The Spanish flag carrier Iberia has the 11th highest number of Europe-US departures, although it ranks eighth when only European operators are considered. In winter 2025, it will begin flying to Orlando International, becoming its ninth US destination.
Orlando's next European carrier
Iberia will introduce flights between Madrid—the world's ninth airport for long-haul service—and Orlando on October 26, the first day of the northern aviation winter based on IATA slot seasons. I'm sure it'll make my Weekly Routes article, showcasing a selection of intriguing additions.
It will operate four times weekly aboard the two-class, 288-seat Airbus A330-200, Iberia's lowest-capacity widebody equipment. The 182-seat A321XLR, replacing the twin-aisle on two long-haul winter routes, has freed up aircraft for use elsewhere, including Orlando.
In November, IB339 will leave the Spanish capital at 11:30 and arrive in Florida at 15:45 local time (10h 15m block time). Returning, IB340 will depart at 17:20 and get back at 07:55+1 (8h 35m). For Europe-wide connectivity, Madrid's departure and arrival times correspond to Iberia's peak US operations.
Iberia will become the second carrier operating between Madrid and Orlando this year. It will join IberoJet, which inaugurated flights in 2024 and which will operate on Saturdays only between June 21 and September 13. It has fewer US flights than any other European operator. It will not operate simultaneously with Iberia.
These European airlines operate
As of March 26, Orlando International's European airline portfolio will consist of the following. While not the subject of this article, it is worth remembering that the ambitiously titled Orlando Melbourne has TUI flights from multiple UK airports.
Iberia will join Air France, returning to the Florida airport in May after last flying there in 2012 when even the now-retired 747-400 was deployed. Things will be very different this time. Germany's leisure carrier, Discover, introduced the first-ever Munich flights on March 5, 2025.
Speculation persists that Turkish Airlines, whose Istanbul Airport hub is on the European side of the Bosphorus, will announce an Orlando service. It has been mentioned for some time, including on its wishlist map (see slide 14), but nothing has materialized yet.
| Airline | Orlando operations: summer aviation season* | Orlando operations: winter aviation season** |
|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | Six weekly from Dublin (mainly A330-300 but also the A330-200) and four weekly to daily from Manchester (A330-300) | Four weekly from Dublin (mainly the A330-300 but also the A330-200) and three weekly from Manchester (A330-300) |
| Air France | Returns on May 21. Four weekly from Paris CDG (A350-900) | Four weekly from Paris CDG (A350-900) |
| British Airways | Double daily from London Gatwick (777-200ER) | Daily from London Gatwick (777-200ER) |
| Discover | Daily from Frankfurt (mainly the A330-300 but also the A330-200); three weekly from Munich (A330-300) | Daily from Frankfurt (mainly the A330-300 but also the A330-200); three weekly from Munich (A330-300) |
| Iberia | None | Begins on October 26. Four weekly from Madrid (A330-200) |
| IberoJet | 13 Saturday-only flights from Madrid (see earlier; A330-300) | None |
| Icelandair | Mainly four weekly from Keflavik (757-200ER/737 MAX 8) | Five weekly to daily from Keflavik (737 MAX 8 and one A321LR flight on December 20 only) |
| Norse Atlantic | Mainly daily from London Gatwick (787-9) | Three to four weekly from London Gatwick (787-9) |
| Virgin Atlantic | Double daily to 17 weekly from London Heathrow (A330-300/A330-900/A350-1000); daily to 12 weekly from Manchester (A350-1000/A330-300); twice-weekly from Edinburgh (A350-1000) | 10 weekly from London Heathrow (A330-300/A350-1000); daily from Manchester (A350-1000) |
| * March 30-October 25 | ** October 26-March 28 |
Delta operates Orlando-Europe
While European airlines are the focus of this article, it is worth mentioning Delta's network, which doubled late last year.
The carrier has served the critical European SkyTeam hub of Amsterdam from Orlando since 2018. The winter operation runs daily (A330-300/A330-900, but the A330-300 only next winter). In October 2024, Delta introduced its second Orlando-Europe route with the start of winter London Heathrow flights (four weekly A330-900).
