Iberia opens up new Latin America connections via Madrid

South America has long been one of the trickiest regions to reach on Avios. Reward seats are scarce, direct routes from London are limited, and the taxes on some of them sting. So any news that adds seats between Europe and Latin America deserves your attention.

Cathay Pacific announced in July 2026 that it is adding new codeshare flights with Iberia to four destinations via Madrid: Fortaleza and Recife in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Argentina and the Dominican Republic join Cathay Pacific's codeshare network for the first time. To feed those connections, Cathay Pacific will also increase its Hong Kong to Madrid service from four weekly flights to a daily operation from 25 October 2026, and it remains the only carrier flying non-stop between Hong Kong and Spain.

On the surface this is a Cathay Pacific story. Look closer and it is really an Avios one. The flights behind those new codeshares are operated by Iberia, and Iberia flights can be booked with the same Avios you collect through The British Airways Club. More Iberia flying to Latin America means more practical reach for your balance, to a region where finding a reward seat has traditionally felt like a lottery win.

What has been announced

Here is the announcement at a glance. The four new codeshare destinations sit alongside the six Latin American cities Cathay Pacific already covers through its oneworld partners.

Cathay Pacific first flew to Madrid in 2016, and the jump to a daily service from 25 October 2026 adds three new weekly frequencies. The codeshares themselves put a CX flight number on Iberia-operated aircraft. For Avios collectors, the flight number on the marketing side matters far less than the metal underneath: these are Iberia flights, and that is what makes them bookable with your Avios.

The timing compounds an existing trend. Iberia has already confirmed a record Latin America schedule for summer 2026, with up to 366 weekly services linking Madrid to 18 destinations across the region. Cathay Pacific plugging its Asian network into that hub is a vote of confidence that Madrid's Latin America operation keeps growing.

Can you use Avios on Cathay Pacific?

We see the question a lot, so let's answer it cleanly. Cathay Pacific does not use Avios as its own currency (its programme is Cathay, with Asia Miles as the currency). But because Cathay Pacific and British Airways are both oneworld members, you can redeem Avios on Cathay Pacific flights by booking through your BA Club account. Our guide to using Avios for Cathay Pacific flights walks through it step by step, and if you have your eye on the pointy end, we have also covered redeeming Avios on Cathay Pacific Business Class in detail.

One honest caveat on the new routes: you cannot book the codeshare legs beyond Madrid as Cathay Pacific reward flights and expect Cathay availability rules to apply. The Latin America legs are Iberia flights, so you book them as Iberia reward seats with Avios. Where Cathay Pacific reward flights do come in is the Hong Kong to Madrid leg itself, which is a genuine Cathay-operated redemption you can book with Avios through BA Club, subject to Cathay releasing partner award space.

The best way to book Iberia flights with Avios

If you are wondering about the best way to book Iberia with Avios, you have two main routes, and both use the currency you already hold.

1. The first is through Iberia's own programme, Iberia Club (formerly Iberia Plus, renamed in 2025). It is free to join, and Iberia Avios and BA Avios are one and the same currency, so you can move Avios between BA Club and Iberia Club in minutes once both accounts are set up. Booking through Iberia Club often prices Iberia's own long-haul flights keenly, particularly in Business Class, and taxes and fees out of Madrid tend to be gentler than the equivalent charges on a London departure. You will need your membership number when you book, so set the account up before the seats appear rather than after.
2. The second is booking Iberia flights directly through BA Club as a partner redemption. This keeps everything in one account, and it is often the simpler option if your Avios already live with BA. Availability shown to BA Club members can differ from what Iberia Club members see, so it pays to check both.

Either way, Iberia reward flights are now something you can track rather than hope for. Reward Flight Finder's Iberia reward seat Search and Alerts cover Iberia availability alongside British Airways, which takes the manual refreshing out of the hunt.

Avios to South America: what the new routes could cost you

Reward pricing on these routes varies by date, cabin and booking channel, so treat the figures below as a guide rather than a quote. They reflect typical starting levels we have seen for one-way off-peak redemptions via Madrid, with taxes and fees payable on top of the Avios. Cash fares move with the seasons, so those are a guide too. For exact figures on your dates, check the Avios Calculator.

Two things stand out. First, Fortaleza and Recife sit on Brazil's north-eastern coast, noticeably closer to Europe than Rio or São Paulo, and shorter flights can mean fewer Avios under distance-based partner pricing. Second, using Avios to South America in Business Class via Madrid frequently undercuts the equivalent London departure on total cash outlay, because you sidestep the UK's higher Air Passenger Duty on the long-haul leg. A comparison worth running before you book either way.

Madrid keeps getting stronger as an Avios hub

Plenty of UK collectors already route through Madrid deliberately. The positioning flight is cheap in points terms, and it keeps your Iberia Avios options wide open: London to Madrid reward seats start from around 9,750 Avios one way off-peak in Economy, with Reward Flight Saver capping the taxes and fees on British Airways short-haul bookings. From there, Iberia's long-haul network fans out across Latin America, and now covers even more of it.

Instead of competing for the handful of British Airways reward flights that go direct from London to South America, you can fly London to Madrid, then Madrid onwards to Buenos Aires, Fortaleza, Recife or Santo Domingo on Iberia. You give up a little time and take on a connection, but in exchange you get more departure options, often lower surcharges, and a second pool of reward availability to fish in. If you do find yourself with a few hours in the Spanish capital, know that flying Iberia with Avios can come with lounge access in the premium cabins, and Iberia's long-haul Business Class holds its own on value.

A daily Hong Kong link helps too

The Hong Kong to Madrid frequency boost is easy to skim past, but it matters for anyone redeeming between Asia and Europe. A daily Cathay-operated service means more chances of partner award space appearing on a route where one missed day used to mean waiting three more. And for travellers starting in Asia, it creates a genuine one-stop Avios routing from Hong Kong through Madrid and on to Iberia's Latin American network. That is a corridor that barely existed in reward terms a few years ago.

What this means for your Avios

Nobody should promise you that Iberia will suddenly flood these routes with reward seats. What the announcement does change is the maths in your favour. More frequencies, more destinations and more connecting itineraries give an airline more room to release reward inventory, and give you more ways to piece a trip together when your first-choice date is sold out. On a region as tight as South America, flexibility is the whole game.

The real headline is not the codeshare at all. It is that the practical reach of the Avios ecosystem keeps widening, and Madrid is where most of that widening is happening. If Buenos Aires, Brazil's north-east or the Caribbean sit anywhere on your wish list, your Avios just moved a step closer to getting you there. And if you are still building your knowledge of the region, our look at South America's best-kept secret makes a good next read.

Get ahead of the seat hunt

Reward seats on new and expanded routes tend to go to whoever sees them first. Reward Flight Finder tracks British Airways reward seats and Iberia reward flights side by side, so you can search up to a year ahead and set Availability Alerts that tell you the moment seats appear on your route, in your cabin, for your party size. Gold Members can go further with Flight-by-Flight Search to watch a specific Madrid departure day by day. Set your Alert now, and let the seats come to you.