International Airlines Group (IAG), owner of airlines Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling, has launched IAG Media, its own media and advertising business, with which it promises to connect brands with the more than 120 million customers it brings together among the companies that make up the group. The movement represents the gathering, for the first time, of its entire advertising offer in the same division.
As expressed in a statement, IAG Media will take advantage of the size of the group, its knowledge of customers and the connectivity on board the planes to bring the brands’ messages to the different moments of the trip. To do this, advertising will have a presence in digital channels, such as in-flight entertainment or the internet access portal, and also in physical spaces, such as airport VIP lounges or magazines inside the plane.
IAG ensures that its proposal combines creative capacity with the size of the group
Beyond advertising spaces, the company ensures that advertisers will be able to work with IAG’s internal creative studio to produce content in an agile way thanks to generative artificial intelligence tools. In this way, the group ensures that its proposal combines creative capacity with the knowledge of IAG Media’s clients and advertising channels.
From IAG Media they assure that the intention is to connect brands and consumers at the right time and place, guaranteeing the experience. “We combine a potential audience of more than 122 million customers with the global reach and diversity of our airlines. All this, together with on-board connectivity and innovation, allows us to help brands reach customers with much more relevant and personalized content.“, commented Nacho Tovar, CEO of the new division, in a statement “Our ambition is to turn IAG Media into the reference media platform in the travel sector”.
To achieve this, it especially relies on the deployment of the internet connection on its planes through Starlink, Elon Musk’s company. It ensures that it is progressing as planned so that 50% of its long-haul fleet is equipped with Starlink by the end of 2026, with which it hopes to continue improving the customer experience on all its airlines.
The launch of IAG Media forms part of IAG’s strategy to develop complementary non-capital intensive businesses and diversify its revenue streams to generate long-term value. The movement is understood within a trend of rising fuel costs derived from the multiple current geopolitical conflicts.
IAG closed the third quarter of 2026 with an operating profit of 1,726 million euros, -15.9% less compared to the previous year, all despite achieving revenues worth 9,744 million euros between July and September, that is, 4.5% more than the same period in 2025.
