Iberia will soon be launching a new low-cost airline, Iberia Express, on the Spanish network as well as to European destinations. With this launch, scheduled for summer 2012, Iberia hopes to attract more travellers to its long-haul network, on which the Spanish airline is gradually refocusing. The aircraft, taken from the Iberia fleet, will offer Economy and Business classes. In a press release published on 6 October, Iberia set out its medium-term ambitions in this respect: "to develop new markets and new destinations, and to strengthen the Madrid hub, thereby creating new and valuable jobs for the Spanish economy". The press release concludes: "the creation of Iberia Express will not change the current working conditions of employees currently working at Iberia, nor the relations maintained with Vueling and Air Nostrum". This clarification should be seen in the light of the fears of the airline's pilots, who had already recently mentioned the possibility of strike action in the event of the creation of a new low-cost airline.
