Iberia Returns to Washington D.C., With Airbus A321XLR

Updated: June 11, 2026, 7:03am CDT

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Iberia Returns to D.C. With Up to 7 Weekly Flights
Final Thoughts

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Iberia will once again connect the capital cities of the U.S. and Spain.

Starting April 12, 2025, the Spanish flag carrier will relaunch its nonstop service between Madrid (MAD) and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

Let’s take a look at the details.

Iberia Returns to D.C. With Up to 7 Weekly Flights

Iberia is coming back to D.C., but this time a bit differently.

The Madrid-based carrier will now operate the route with its brand-new, state-of-the-art Airbus A321XLR jets, which it also operates to Boston (BOS).

What’s unique about the A321XLR aircraft is that it’s a narrow-body aircraft. These jets have a single aisle, as opposed to the more prevalent two-aisle aircraft used for transatlantic flights.

Despite the narrower fuselage, Iberia opted to install lie-flat beds in its business class cabin, which takes up almost half of the plane.

A321 XLR lay flat seats — Business class on Iberia’s Airbus A321XLRs is in a 1-1 configuration. Credit: Iberia

Iberia was the first airline to fly passengers in these smaller long-haul aircraft that have significantly fewer seats than its larger long-haul jets, such as the Airbus A350. This advantage means they’re an excellent aircraft to deploy on routes with less demand.

As such, Iberia will increase the frequency of the service from 4 weekly flights to 7 weekly.

The service will operate every day of the week except Mondays from April 12 until September 9, when it becomes daily for a short time until October 25, 2025.

With the arrival of the winter season, the service will be reduced to 3x per week: on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

The flights will operate with the following schedule:

Depart Washington, D.C. (IAD) 4:35 p.m. — Arrive Madrid (MAD) 6:25 a.m (+1)
Depart Madrid (MAD) 11:50 a.m. — Arrive Washington, D.C. (IAD) 3 p.m.

Flights are available to book now, and round-trip economy fares start as low as $512 in September and October. As for business class with lie-flat beds, round-trip pricing starts at $3,180.

Hot Tip:

Iberia flies from a total of 9 U.S. cities to either Barcelona (BCN) or Madrid (MAD) in Spain. Whether it’s economy, premium economy, or business, you can also redeem Avios to book your Iberia flights rather than spending a ton of cash.

Final Thoughts

Iberia is making a stylish return to the nation’s capital with its sleek new Airbus A321XLR. We have yet to fly the aircraft, but we believe it will be an enjoyable and unique way to travel between Madrid and Washington, DC.