Cathay Pacific announced on 15 July 2026 that it has entered into a codeshare agreement with Spain’s flag-carrier Iberia, significantly widening one-stop access between Hong Kong and four new Latin American destinations—Fortaleza and Recife in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic—via Madrid-Barajas. To support the partnership, Cathay will add three weekly frequencies to its Hong Kong–Madrid service from 25 October, converting the route to daily operations. Iberia in turn will place its ‘IB’ code on Cathay’s Hong Kong-Madrid flights, while Cathay’s ‘CX’ code will appear on the onward Iberia services. The carriers emphasised that through-check-in, baggage interline, and aligned frequent-flyer accrual will be offered. For corporate mobility teams the deal provides a new, competitively timed connection into secondary Brazilian cities and Argentina without transiting the United States—an advantage for travellers lacking US visas. It also strengthens Hong Kong International Airport’s role as a northeast Asian hub linking into the Iberian Peninsula and beyond. Travel managers should update approved-carrier lists and booking tools ahead of the winter IATA season, noting that the additional night-time departures from Madrid (Mon, Thu, Sat) create same-day links into Asia-Pacific business hours. Companies shipping time-sensitive cargo may also benefit from accelerated belly-hold capacity on the Madrid route.
Source: Europa Press
