 | |||||||
 LEVELA330-200 in standard livery | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 15 March 2017; 8 years ago (2017-03-15) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1 June 2017; 7 years ago (2017-06-01) | ||||||
| AOC # | ES.AOC.166[1] | ||||||
| Operating bases | Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Avios | ||||||
| Alliance | Oneworld (affiliate)[citation needed] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 6 | ||||||
| Destinations | 8 | ||||||
| Parent company | International Airlines Group (IAG) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Viladecans, Spain[2] | ||||||
| Key people | Rafael Jiménez Hoyos (CEO)[3] Fernando Candela (CEO)[3] Luis Gallego (CEO of IAG) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Fly Level SL, styled asLEVEL, is a transatlantic long haul airline owned by theInternational Airlines Group (IAG) registered inViladecans, Spain.[2]
The airline was initially launched as aairline brand, with its flights operated byIberia, another carrier within the IAG group. However, IAG later confirmed plans to acquire an independentAir Operator's Certificate (AOC) for Level, enabling it to operate as a standalone airline within the group.[4] Level obtained its AOC from Spanish aviation authorities in December 2024.[1][5]
Level was marketed initially as a low-cost, long-haul carrier, and began transatlantic services fromBarcelona–El Prat Airport in June 2017.[6] In July 2018, Level expanded with long-haul services fromParis Orly Airport, which took over the operation of IAG subsidiaryOpenSkies,[7] and began its first short-haul services fromVienna International Airport, operated byLevel Europe.
On 18 June 2020, Level Europe entered insolvency and the brand's short-haul flights operated by the Austria-based airline were terminated with immediate effect.[8] On 8 July 2020, the shutdown of OpenSkies was announced and initially ended the brand's long-haul flights based at Paris Orly,[9][10] and although ticket sales for OpenSkies flights under the brand were later restarted,[11] operations did not resume. The brand's long-haul flights from Barcelona operated by Iberia were unaffected by Level Europe's and OpenSkies' closures.[10]
Level was established by IAG in response to increased competition in the low-cost long-haul market, including that ofNorwegian Long Haul. On 15 March 2017, IAG CEOWillie Walsh announced the new brand, together with four destinations launching in June 2017 fromBarcelona–El Prat Airport (later renamed afterJosep Tarradellas in 2019). These wereOakland,Los Angeles,Buenos Aires, andPunta Cana.[12] Walsh further noted that the brand was launched a year ahead of schedule.[13] A one-year contract was in place forIberia to operate Level flights under itsairline codes and provide the necessary personnel, which has since been extended as Level had not been issued its ownair operator's certificate (AOC).
Walsh stated the corporation due to take over operation of the brand sold 52,000 seats within two days of being established, and over 147,000 after one and a half months, far exceeding IAG's expectations.[14] Rome, Paris, and Milan were also mentioned as possible locations for future expansion of the airline in Europe, together with additional routes out of Barcelona.[15]
In line with the expressed intent to continue with future expansion by adding routes from other European cities,[16] on 28 November 2017, Level announced flights fromParis Orly Airport toMontreal andPoint-à-Pitre and flights fromBarcelona toBoston to begin from July 2018, and flights from Paris Orly toFort-de-France andNewark to begin from September 2018.[7] Flights from Paris Orly were to be operated with the AOC and crew ofOpenSkies, another airline owned by IAG.[17]
After the OpenSkies brand was retired on 2 September 2018, its operations were absorbed into the Level brand.[7] On 8 November 2018, flights from Barcelona toSantiago de Chile andNew York JFK were announced to begin in March and July 2019 respectively.[18] On 8 May 2019, a service from Paris toLas Vegas was announced to begin from 30 October 2019, which was subsequently terminated by 1 March 2020.[19][20] On 1 October 2019, a service between Paris Orly and Boston was announced to begin from 31 March 2020, but reservations were later closed between the initial announcement and the planned start of service.[21][20]
OpenSkies was among three airlines that applied with theFrench Ministry of Ecology for traffic rights to operate services between France and Brazil, following the relinquishment of airport slots and traffic rights byAigle Azur andXL Airways France, which had gone defunct during September 2019. Of the five weekly frequencies made available between France and Brazil, OpenSkies applied to operate three weekly services between Paris Orly andRio de Janeiro under the Level brand, with the intention of eventually using all five frequencies, but was unable to provide a specific operational timeline for when it would increase service. By January 2020, none of the traffic rights were awarded to OpenSkies, with the French Ministry of Ecology instead awarding four frequencies toFrench Bee, and one frequency toAir France.[22]
TheCOVID-19 pandemic andits associated impacts on aviation resulted in the grounding of Level's short- and long-haul fleet, and the subsequent suspension of its operations starting in March 2020. On 8 July 2020, IAG announced that OpenSkies, the operator of Level's flights based at Paris Orly, would cease operations, with employee union negotiations and further closing procedures to begin the following week.[9][10] Despite the announcement of OpenSkies' closure, ticket sales for Paris Orly-based flights operated by the airline were restarted, with operations planned to resume in October 2020,[11] later postponed to December 2020,[23] yet operations never resumed and ticket sales were subsequently closed completely. Level's long-haul flights that were based in Barcelona and operated by Iberia resumed on 11 September 2020, with reduced capacity.[11] As travel restrictions between countries continued to be lifted, Level launched a new route between its Barcelona base andCancún International Airport on 2 July 2021.[24] In the following months, it announced in September 2021 that its Punta Cana services would resume on 4 December 2021, and in October 2021 that it would resume its services to Los Angeles on 28 March 2022.[25][26] On 19 September 2023, Level announced plans to increase its fleet to six aircraft, and with it, a new service between Barcelona andMiami International Airport to begin on 31 March 2024.[27]
.jpg)
On 29 June 2018, IAG announced the launch of a new low-cost Austrian subsidiary,Anisec Luftfahrt, to operate flights fromVienna International Airport, branded as Level, starting from 17 July 2018. The new subsidiary had its own Austrian AOC and based fourAirbus A321 aircraft previously used byAir Berlin andNiki in Vienna, from which it planned to serve 14 European destinations on behalf of Level by the end of August 2018.[28] By December 2018, however, Level announced cuts to its Vienna route network, with routes being reduced in frequency or cancelled altogether due to business figures being below expectations.[29]
On 14 March 2019, IAG confirmed plans to open a second base atAmsterdam Airport Schiphol, with seven routes already operated byVueling transferred from 6 April 2019 to 15 August 2019. Routes once transferred were planned to be operated under the Level brand byAnisec Luftfahrt, with threeAirbus A320 aircraft transferred from Vueling to Level in March 2019.[30] On 18 June 2019, during the2019 Paris Air Show, theInternational Airlines Group signed aletter of intent to order a total of 200Boeing 737 MAX 8 andMAX 10 aircraft to be operated across IAG's airlines, possibly including the Level brand,Vueling, andBritish Airways, although specific allocation amounts between operating airlines were not specified.[31][32] In December 2019, Anisec Luftfahrt was renamed to Level Europe.[33]
On 18 June 2020, all short-haul flights operated byLevel Europe from its bases in Amsterdam and Vienna were terminated as the operating company went into liquidation.[8]
On 21 November 2023, IAG announced that Level would receive its own AOC, allowing for the company to operate its own flights independently of other IAG-owned airlines, which Level's flights had been operated by since launch.[34] Level received their own AOC on 3 December 2024, with IATA code "LL", however the airline will continue to use the "IB" code from its parentIberia until 2025.[35]
Level is currently headquartered inViladecans,Spain.[2] Level had a registered office inMadrid, Spain, using space shared with Spanish airlineIberia, which is located on the grounds ofAdolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport.[36] The brand has additional offices on the grounds ofJosep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, shared with Spanish low-cost airlineVueling.[37]
Level initially lacked achief executive officer (CEO) following its launch in 2017, according to formerInternational Airlines Group CEOWillie Walsh.[13] In turn, Vincent Hodder, who had previous experience at British regional airlineFlybe, became Level's first CEO on 25 July 2018.[38] Hodder was later succeeded as CEO by Fernando Candela on 9 September 2019, who had previous experience at Spanish airlinesIberia Express andAir Nostrum.[3]
As of March 2025[update], the airlines operating for Level serve, or have previously served, the following destinations.[39]
Starting in March 2017, long-haul flights under the brand were launched from a base atBarcelona–El Prat Airport, with the flights operated byIberia.[12] Starting in July 2018, long-haul flights under the brand based atParis Orly Airport were operated byOpenSkies[7] until March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, after which IAG announced the closure of OpenSkies in July 2020.[9]
Short-haul flights were operated under the brand byAnisec Luftfahrt (later renamedLevel Europe) between July 2018 and March 2020, when operations were initially suspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. On 18 June 2020,Level Europe went into administration, resulting in all short-haul flights within Europe under the Level brand being terminated with immediate effect.[8] The following table shows the status of each current, former, or planned destination at the time Level Europe's operations were suspended in March 2020, before the airline's official ceasing of operations in June 2020.
As of October 2021[update], the airlines operating for Level havecodeshare agreements with the following airlines:
.png)
As of March 2025[update], Level operates the following all-Airbus A330 Level-branded fleet:[49]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A330-200 | 4 | — | 42 | 269 | 311 | Operated byIberia.[citation needed] |
| 2 | 24 | 275 | 299 | |||
| 1 | 20 | 255 | 275 | |||
| Total | 7 | — | ||||
.jpg)
Level previously had the following aircraft types operate under its brand:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | 2019 | 2020 | Operated byLevel Europe. |
| Airbus A321-200 | 4 | 2018 | 2020 | |
| Airbus A330-343 | 2 | 2023 | 2024 | Operated byIberia.[citation needed] |
The brand announced plans to expand from three A330-200s in 2017 to at least 15 aircraft by 2022, with the possibility of continuing to acquire Airbus A330s, or possibly moving toBoeing 787s.[50] The brand later stated it was to decide between the Boeing 787 or theAirbus A330neo for its future wide-body fleet plans, as production of the Airbus A330-200 was expected to end in early 2020.[51]
In June 2018, four branded Airbus A321-200 aircraft were added to begin short-haul services before another two Airbus A320-200 aircraft were added starting from March 2019, from the three A320s originally planned to be added.[28][46] Three additional Airbus A330-200 aircraft operated byOpenSkies were added to the fleet starting in July 2018. In June 2020, the Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft were subsequently retired afterLevel Europe, the airline responsible for operating short-haul flights under the brand, ceased operations.[8] The following month, OpenSkies ceased operations and its three Airbus A330-200s were transferred to Iberia starting in January 2021, with at least one of the three aircraft repurposed to operate from Level's Barcelona base.[citation needed]
Following the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, in November 2023, IAG announced plans for Level's fleet to increase to eight aircraft by 2026.[34]
Premium Economy on Level's A330 aircraft features 42 reclining seats in a 2–3–2 layout, each featuring 37 inches (94 cm) ofpitch and including noise-cancelling headphones. Seats have a 12-inch (31 cm) TV screen featuring a complimentary selection of films, TV shows, and music. Passengers are offered a three-course meal, and WiFi is available for purchase. Passengers are also given a baggage allowance of one cabin bag and two checked/hold bags.[52]
The Economy cabin of Level's A330 aircraft features 293 seats in a 2–4–2 layout, which are equipped with a 9-inch (23 cm) TV screen. In-flight WiFi, in-flight catering, and checked/hold baggage are all available for purchase by passengers.[53]
Although the Level brand does not have its own standalonefrequent-flyer programme, flights operated byIberia are eligible to earnAvios points through the airline'sIberia Plus programme. Flights operated byLevel Europe orOpenSkies were not eligible to earn Avios points on any programme.
registered address at Calle Catalunya, 83, 08840, Viladecans, Barcelona, Spain
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)registered address at Camino de la Muñoza s/n, El Caserio, Iberia Zona Industrial, N 2 (La Muñoza), 28042 Madrid, Spain
Media related toLEVEL (airline) at Wikimedia Commons
| Operations |
|  | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| People | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||||||||
