Vueling

Vueling S.A. (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell, Template:IPA) is a Spanish low-cost airline based in Viladecans in Greater Barcelona with operating bases in Barcelona–El Prat Airport in Spain (main), Paris Orly Airport in France, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, London Gatwick Airport in the UK, and Rome Fiumicino Airport in Italy (secondary). It is the largest airline in Spain as measured by fleet size and number of destinations.Template:Citation needed As of 2021, Vueling serves 122 destinations in Africa, Asia, and Europe,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and carried more than 34 million passengers in 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since 2013, it has been an operating company of International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus.

History

Early years

Vueling was established on 10 February 2004 and commenced operations on 1 July 2004 with a flight between Barcelona and Ibiza. The initial fleet consisted of two Airbus A320 aircraft, based in Barcelona serving Brussels, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca and Paris-CDG.<ref name=history>Template:Cite web</ref> The name Vueling was formed by combining the Spanish word vuelo (flight) with the English gerund suffix -ing.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Initially, major shareholders of Vueling were Apax Partners (40%), Inversiones Hemisferio (Grupo Planeta) (30%), Vueling's management team (23%) and V.A. Investor (JetBlue Airways) (7%).Template:Citation needed During its nascent stages, the company's general manager was Lázaro Ros, while Carlos Muñoz was CEO. In November 2007, Vueling appointed managing director of Spanair Lars Nygaard as CEO to replace Carlos Muñoz, who remained a member of the board of directors.Template:Citation needed

Madrid was added as the airline's second base in 2005, followed by its first base outside Spain at Paris CDG in 2007. Seville followed in December 2009.Template:Citation needed

Financial concerns and management re-shuffle

In 2007, Apax Partners sold its then-21% stake in the carrier in June of that year, followed by two profit warnings issued in August and October. Two company directors and the chairman resigned shortly before the second profit warning, citing differences over commercial strategy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Shares in the company were also temporarily suspended.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This led to Barbara Cassani, former Chief Executive of UK low-cost airline Go, joining Vueling as chairman of the board in September 2007. The airline then embarked on a restructuring exercise and posted its first profit in mid 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vueling and Clickair merger

In June 2008, Vueling and rival Spanish low-cost airline Clickair announced their intention to merge. The merger was designed to create a carrier better able to compete in the competitive Spanish airline market and mitigate high fuel costs with Iberia as the main industrial partner. While the new company would trade under the Vueling name, Clickair's Alex Cruz was named as chief executive.<ref name=merger>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=travelmole>Template:Cite web</ref> The deal was subject to scrutiny and approval by European competition regulators, who were concerned that the merged airline would have a significant competitive advantage on around 19 routes. The regulators demanded the release of slots at Barcelona and other European airports as a condition of the merger.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 15 July 2009, the merger of Vueling and Clickair was completed.<ref name="travelmole"/> The new merged airline operates under the Vueling brand, with Clickair flights and aircraft re-branded under the Vueling name. It became the second largest Spanish carrier, flying 8.2 million passengers in 2009<ref name=pax>Template:Cite web</ref> to almost 50 destinations.

Co-operation with MTV

File:Vueling Airlines Airbus A320 Volpati-1.jpg

Vueling Airbus A320-214 in MTV Livery at Paris-CDG, France (2008)

In 2009, Vueling, for the second year running, cooperated with MTV during the summer season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two of Vueling's A320 aircraft (EC-KDG<ref>Lundgren, Johan (1996-2006). Photo Search Results EC-KDG Template:Webarchive. Airliners.net. AirNav Systems LLC. URL accessed on 2011.</ref> and EC-KDH<ref name="eckdh">Lundgren, Johan (1996-2006). Photo Search Results EC-KDG Template:Webarchive. Airliners.net. AirNav Systems LLC. URL accessed on 2011.</ref>) were re-painted into MTV liveries with some MTV styling on-board too. The designs of both liveries were created by Custo Dalmau and both liveries were removed at the end of 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the summer season of 2010, EC-KDG<ref name="eckdh" /> had again been re-painted into an MTV livery, and in 2011, it was re-painted into a livery based on French DJ and producer David Guetta; the livery has since been removed and co-operation with MTV has since ended.Template:Citation needed

2010 onwards

In November 2010, Vueling announced a new base in Toulouse Airport in France from April 2011,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> followed in December 2010 by the announcement of a new base in Amsterdam, also to open during April 2011. The Toulouse base opened on 23 April 2011, but has since closed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2011, further expansion was announced with Vueling adding a further nine aircraft to its fleet, including Airbus A319 aircraft. Six Airbus A320s were delivered between April and June 2011, whilst the remaining two A320s were delivered by the end of 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 21 March 2012, it was announced by CEO Alex Cruz that Rome would be added as a new base. The base launched on 25 March 2012 with one aircraft based there: the airline has since expanded at Rome with numerous new destinations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 5 December 2012, Vueling announced the opening of a new base of operations in Florence: the carrier is to base one aircraft there and serve four new European destinations.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Ten months later, on 25 October 2013, Vueling launched Florence-Catania, its first domestic route in Italy.

Since November 2013, the airline has continued to expand from its hub at Barcelona.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 6 November 2013, Vueling announced a new base with one aircraft in Brussels, with seven new destinations from May 2014, in addition to the four previous routes from Brussels.Template:Citation needed Also in November 2013, Vueling announced an expansion of its base at Rome-Fiumicino. From mid-2014, 8 aircraft would be based there, operating more than 30 routes. This expansion meant Rome-Fiumicino would become Vueling's secondary hub, after Barcelona. In 2014, Vueling opened routes to Warsaw and Cracow in Poland, both of which were canceled in 2020.

During the first weekend of July 2016, Vueling had many delays and cancellations, which resulted in an investigation by the Spanish authorities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the same month, Vueling cancelled all its flights to Sheremetyevo International Airport, Vilnius Airport and Rabat–Salé Airport. Clients were able to get a refund or fly to the nearest airport where Vueling flew.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2016, Vueling shut down their bases in Brussels, Catania and Palermo as part of restructuring measures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2017, Vueling canceled its route from Barcelona to Frankfurt Airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 29 December 2017, it was announced that IAG would acquire Austrian airline Niki as a subsidiary for Vueling.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, Niki was later acquired by Niki Lauda, the owner of Laudamotion, with investment from Ryanair.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A few months after losing the bid for Niki, IAG instead established Anisec Luftfahrt as a subsidiary of Vueling, operating as LEVEL, using four former Niki aircraft that had not been purchased by rival Lufthansa (and leased to Lauda).<ref name="Vueling Austria Level">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2020, Vueling announced new routes linking Paris, France to Dubrovnik, Croatia and Seville, Spain to Marrakech, Morocco.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Subsequently in December 2024, Vueling announced that the airline will launch flights between Florence and Brussels in April 2025 using their Airbus A319 aircraft.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On July 23, 2025, a group of 52 Jewish teenagers and their chaperone were removed from Vueling Airlines flight 8166 (Valencia-Paris Orly) before departure. The incident gave rise to a number of complaints that accused the airline of engaging in antisemitic behaviour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Officials from the French government requested an explanation from the airline, and several Jewish advocacy groups expressed their concerns.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The United States Department of State called for a complete investigation of the events.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In an unsubstantiated statement, Amichai Chikli, Israel's minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, claimed the Vueling crew had said "Israel is a terrorist state", and attributed the incident to "Hamas's campaign of lies".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, Vueling has consistently denied all allegations of antisemitism, arguing that it was the persistent and highly disruptive behavior of the group that ultimately led to their removal, as their actions constituted a serious threat to the aircraft's safety equipment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After several warnings from the crew were disregarded, the pilot ordered the group's forced disembarkation to guarantee the flight's safety.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Spain's Civil Guard, who assisted with the disembarkation, said that the passengers who were removed were French nationals, and that it was not aware of the group's religious affiliation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following a comprehensive investigation of the incident, the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency later concluded that the airline had acted reasonably and in accordance with the official regulations, without any evidence of antisemitic motivations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Corporate affairs

Business trends

The key trends for Vueling are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

	Turnover (€m)	Net profit (€m)	Number of employeesTemplate:Efn	Number of passengers (m)	Passenger load factor (%)	Number of aircraftTemplate:Efn	Notes/ sources
2008	437	8.5	1,013	5.9	70.3	21	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2009	598	27.8	1,195	8.2	73.7	26	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010	790	46.0	1,266	11.0	73.2	36	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2011	856	10.4	1,389	12.3	75.6	44	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2012	1,103	28.3	1,774	14.8	77.7	53	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2013	1,404	93.4	1,937	17.2	79.6	64	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2014	1,697	98.3	2,390	21.5	79.6	80	<ref name="2014 report">Template:Cite web</ref>
2015	1,933	95.3	2,637	24.8	81.3	96	<ref name="2015 report">Template:Cite web</ref>
2016	2,027	48.9	3,030	27.8	82.4	106	<ref name="2016 report">Template:Cite web</ref>
2017	2,085	117	3,089	29.6	83.7	108	<ref name="2017 report">Template:Cite web</ref>
2018	2,338	149	3,553	32.7	84.3	113	<ref name="2018 report">Template:Cite web</ref>
2019	2,446	132	4,439	34.5	85.7	122	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020	594	−785	3,995	9.6	69.8	127	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2021	1,014	−350	3,969	15.8	76.6	127	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022	2,600	130	4,570	31.9	87.0	124	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023	3,189	315	4,605	37.0	91.0	124	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	3,249	213	4,706	38.0	92.0	131	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Takeover by IAG

File:Vueling headquarters el Prat.JPG

Vueling's former head office in El Prat de Llobregat, Spain

In November 2012, International Airlines Group, whose subsidiary Iberia held a 45.85% stake in Vueling, offered to buy the remaining 54.15% of the company with both Iberia and IAG owning both shares and not resulting in the company being wholly owned by IAG through 100% of shares. IAG, also the owner of British Airways, plans to use Vueling to help stem losses at Iberia. However, market trends (increased profits and improved figures from Vueling resulting in a higher share-price) had made IAG's offer a significant undervaluation of the airline. Vueling had urged its shareholders to reject IAG's offer and its shareholders had until the 8th of April 2013 to decide upon the recommendation.<ref name=IAG>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 27 March 2013, IAG improved its offer for Vueling, raising its offer per share from €7 to €9.25. Vueling shares quickly surged following the announcement, rising by 8.8% to €9.23 following a temporary suspension as BMAD waited on an official comment from Vueling regarding the updated offer. The acceptance period was also increased by 48 calendar days.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 9 April 2013, the board of Vueling unanimously recommended shareholders accept an improved offer of €9.25 per share from IAG. IAG CEO Willie Walsh confirmed that the board had recommended the new offer; however, Walsh also stated that Vueling would not be merged with Iberia, saying, "Vueling will operate as a stand-alone entity in the IAG Group."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 23 April 2013, IAG acquired control of Vueling, which saw the recently purchased 44.66% stake by IAG merged with Iberia's existing 45.85% stake to form a 90.51% shareholding. Vueling remains a standalone company now within the IAG, and its management structure is unchanged; however, Vueling's CEO reports directly to IAG CEO.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Frequent flyer programme

Vueling's frequent flyer programme is Vueling Club,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which allows members to earn and redeem Avios for award flights or fare discounts on Vueling and IAG airlines Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Level, and for award travel on Oneworld airline alliance partners. Vueling Club replaced Vueling's original programme, Punto (Spanish for point), on 27 October 2017, after being announced prior in August 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Punto allowed account holders to earn and redeem points for Vueling flights.

Destinations

File:Vueling.svg

Countries in which Vueling operates as of April 2025<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Codeshare agreements

Vueling has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:<ref name="CAPA Vueling profile">Template:Cite web</ref>

• Aer Lingus
• British Airways
• Iberia
• Level
• LATAM Brasil<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Qatar Airways
• TUI Airways<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fleet

File:Vueling Airlines A321 EC-MHA JP8121427.jpg

Vueling Airbus A321-200

Template:As of, Vueling operates an all-Airbus A320 family fleet composed of the following aircraft:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vueling fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
Airbus A319-100	6	—	144
Airbus A320-200	92	—	180
			186
Airbus A320neo	22	—	186
Airbus A321-200	18	—	220
Airbus A321neo	4	—	236
Boeing 737 MAX 200	—	25	200	Deliveries from 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Order with 100 options.<ref name=":0" />
Boeing 737 MAX 10	—	25	230
Total	142	50

In July 2025, it was confirmed that the order for 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft ordered by parent company IAG in 2022 is intended for Vueling to replace older Airbus A320ceo aircraft and provide fleet expansion to become a mixed Airbus A320neo family and Boeing 737 MAX narrow-body fleet. The order also includes 100 options for the Boeing 737 MAX.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website