With Spain’s flagship high-speed rail link set for both strike action and urgent maintenance works, IAG low-cost carrier Vueling has announced up to four daily shuttle flights between Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat from 9 to 22 February. The airline usually avoids the route to prevent internal competition with Iberia’s Puente Aéreo, but says the temporary service is a ‘solidarity reinforcement’. Basic one-way fares are capped at €99.
The move comes after Adif scheduled overnight track replacements that will limit AVE frequencies even outside the strike window. Iberia has already added capacity and frozen fares, while Transport Minister Óscar Puente praised airlines’ ‘self-regulation’ but asked the CNMC to monitor price gouging.
![Vueling Adds Pop-Up Madrid–Barcelona Flights at €99 to Offset Rail Disruptions and Track Works]()
Travel-management companies expect the extra seats to alleviate some pressure but warn that security queues and potential EES delays at both airports could offset time savings on the 55-minute flight. Environmental groups have criticised the short-haul flights, urging the government to prioritise rail resilience instead.
Corporate travellers should weigh cost, carbon budgets and schedule certainty. For urgent same-day meetings, booking first-wave flights and a backup afternoon rail ticket may offer the best risk-mitigation strategy.
The move comes after Adif scheduled overnight track replacements that will limit AVE frequencies even outside the strike window. Iberia has already added capacity and frozen fares, while Transport Minister Óscar Puente praised airlines’ ‘self-regulation’ but asked the CNMC to monitor price gouging.
Travel-management companies expect the extra seats to alleviate some pressure but warn that security queues and potential EES delays at both airports could offset time savings on the 55-minute flight. Environmental groups have criticised the short-haul flights, urging the government to prioritise rail resilience instead.
Corporate travellers should weigh cost, carbon budgets and schedule certainty. For urgent same-day meetings, booking first-wave flights and a backup afternoon rail ticket may offer the best risk-mitigation strategy.
Source: El País
