The International Airlines Group, which includes Iberia and British Airways, posted a loss of 981 million euros in the second quarter of the current financial year. The group announced this on Friday.

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the deficit was almost halved, but the company is still deep in the red. Business was not particularly good at British Airways and Aer Lingus. The reason given by the IAG top was that the tough entry and quarantine restrictions that Ireland and the United Kingdom practice are extremely detrimental to demand.

In contrast, Vueling and Iberia did much better. Both carriers were able to benefit from the increasing demand for holidays in Spain. Nevertheless, the group had only about 5,5 million passengers in the second quarter of the current financial year. For comparison: In the same period in 2019, IAG carried 83 percent more passengers. The latest turnover was 1,2 billion euros.

CEO Luis Gallego is hoping for possible easing of transatlantic traffic between the European Union and the United States of America. A specific date is not yet in sight, but the opening announced by Canada on September 7, 2021 suggests the International Airlines Group that demand could soon pick up again. However, they did not want to make a detailed forecast for this and for the rest of the financial year.