IAG's long-haul budget airline Level will acquire the air operator's certificate of transatlantic carrier OpenSkies when it establishes its new Paris base.
Level has effectively been acting as a division of Iberia since commencing services earlier this year. But IAG has intended to secure a separate AOC for the carrier.
Level currently operates an all-A330 fleet using the Iberia AOC
Max Kingsley-Jones/FlightGlobal
IAG tells FlightGlobal that Level will "take over" the AOC of OpenSkies when the budget airline sets up its second European base, at Paris Orly, next year.
OpenSkies has been operating transatlantic services from Orly to New York JFK and Newark. The airline was conceived as an all-premium carrier but its model has changed substantially and original plans to expand its network have not materialised.
IAG instead plans to close OpenSkies in favour of pursuing the opposite end of the consumer market, the demand for low-cost long-haul flights.
Level will initially use Airbus A330-200s from Orly. Although IAG has signalled that Level could eventually use single-aisle aircraft, such as the Airbus A321LR, it will not adopt any aircraft from the OpenSkies fleet.
OpenSkies uses a mix of Boeing 757-200 and 767-300ER jets. "[They] will be returned to their owner [or] lessors at the end of the lease term," says IAG.
Flight Fleets Analyzer indicates that two 757s are leased, a third belongs to British Airways, while the single 767 is owned by OpenSkies.
Level will take over Orly slots from OpenSkies but the situation with the slots at JFK is less clear. Level will serve Newark, like OpenSkies, as well as Montreal, Martinique and Guadeloupe, but not JFK.
"It is too early to say [what will happen to the JFK slots] as OpenSkies will be operating until the end of next summer," says IAG.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
