Iberia’s maintenance division has received unrestricted approval from Spain’s aviation regulator AESA to carry out full heavy maintenance on the airline’s entire Airbus A350 fleet. The decision removes previous scope limits, allowing Iberia Mantenimiento to handle comprehensive A350 checks in-house across the widebody programme in Spain.
The approval follows two years of preparation and more than 150 measures across training, engineering, production, materials, infrastructure, documentation, organisation, quality and IT. Enrique Robledo, director of Iberia Mantenimiento, said the milestone closes a project launched at the end of 2024 and confirms the division has the processes, resources, structure and qualified staff required for A350 work.
The move strengthens Iberia Mantenimiento’s standing in the European widebody maintenance market and gives the airline more control over aircraft availability by reducing reliance on external providers for heavy-check work. It also broadens the scope of maintenance services the division can offer as the A350 fleet becomes an increasingly important part of long-haul operations.