British Airways is to welcome airberlin to oneworld in March, as part of its plans to strengthen its network in Germany, and throughout south and central Europe.

British Airways is sponsoring airberlin’s membership of oneworld, and has just completed a thorough review of airberlin’s processes and procedures. airberlin joins oneworld alongside Austrian airline NIKI, a member of the airberlin group, who together form Europe’s sixth largest carrier.

Joining oneworld will significantly strengthen the carrier’s network both in Europe and around the world. It also precedes the opening of Brandenburg Airport in Berlin in three months time, when airberlin, British Airways and all other oneworld carriers operating to the city will co-locate in the same terminal, sharing lounges and other facilities. oneworld passengers connecting through the city will benefit from an altogether smoother transfer experience.

The entry of airberlin will add 70 destinations to the oneworld network, including 18 within Germany, and will make regional markets in Europe easier to reach than ever before. airberlin’s routes will be available through oneworld’s full and extensive range of alliance fares and sales products.

British Airways customers are already benefiting from links with airberlin, as the airline signed a codeshare agreement last June on more than 40 routes around Europe.

British Airways, Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

The board of the oneworld airline alliance today admitted Iberia Express as an affiliated member.

The board of the oneworld airline alliance today admitted Iberia Express as an affiliated member, effective when the new airline launches its operations.

oneworld, to which the Iberia parent has airline has belonged since 1999, has eleven airline members and nearly a score of affiliated members, including Iberia's franchise partner Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, which also joined the alliance in 1999.

Iberia Express is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iberia and will operate the short- and medium-haul flights currently handled by the parent airline, plus some new routes. It will cover point-to-point traffic and serve as feeder for Iberia's long-haul flights to/from its Madrid hub.

The new airline will offer both economy and business class seats, initially in four Airbus A320s, but this number will rise to 13 aircraft by the end of the year. All the aircraft will be transferred from the current Iberia fleet.

Meanwhile airberlin has also become a member of oneworld today, and its Austrian Niki unit was also admitted as an affiliate member. This was announced at a press conference given in Berlin by the airline alliance.

airberlin and Niki serve more than 160 destinations in 45 countries. The incorporation of the German carrier, the world's sixth largest by number of passengers, adds nearly 70 destinations to the oneworld total, now adding up to some 800 cities in 150 countries, with more than 8,750 flights each day operated by a total of almost 2,500 aircraft, and annual revenues of nearly 100,000 million dollars.

airberlin joins oneworld three months before its move to the new Brandenburg airport in Berlin, which will open on June 3 with an initial capacity to serve 27 million passengers per year. Iberia and its oneworld partner airlines will use this new airport, Europe's most modern, sharing VIP lounges and other services to offer comfortable connections to travellers.

Iberia, Madrid, March 20, 2012