LEVEL received a new Airbus A330-200, reaching a total of seven aircraft in its fleet. The airline, part of the IAG Group, recently obtained its Air Operator Certificate (AOC), enabling it to separate its operations and fares from Iberia.
The Airbus A330-200 EC-OHY arrived at the company on December 14. The aircraft is 12 years old and was previously operated by Virgin Australia, which received it on June 18, 2012, and retired it on March 9, 2020.
The arrival of this new aircraft will strengthen the programming of its transatlantic flights, reaching seven destinations across the Americas. From its base at Barcelona El Prat International Airport (BCN), it flies to Buenos Aires (EZE), Santiago de Chile (SCL), Miami (MIA), Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO).
The current fleet of LEVEL consists of seven wide-body aircraft, all Airbus A330-200 models. In its early years, the company operated Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft for flights within Europe, but in 2020, it decided to focus exclusively on long-haul routes to the Americas.
LEVEL’s new AOC
LEVEL, the long-haul airline of the IAG group based in Barcelona, has obtained its Air Operator Certificate (AOC), transitioning from being a commercial brand to operating autonomously as an independent airline, granting it greater flexibility to meet its strategic goals. Until now, LEVEL operated under Iberia’s AOC.
With this milestone, LEVEL gains its own identity within IAG, aligning its operational model with that of the group’s other airlines, such as Iberia, British Airways, Vueling, and Aer Lingus. The AOC, they affirm, also has a direct and indirect economic impact on Catalonia, emphasizing job creation both in offices and among crew members.
According to the company, the process of obtaining the AOC involved doubling its office staff, forming a new Operations team, and hiring technical and cabin crews. Additionally, LEVEL stated that the certification meets the safety standards established by the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency (AESA) and that the airline’s operations are financially sustainable, backed by the operating license granted by the same agency.
