IAG's Level sets up new base at Paris Orly

British Airways, Iberia and Vueling parent International Consolidated Airlines Group said on Tuesday that its low-cost longhaul airline, Level, will launch four new routes from Paris Orly.

Flights will be launched to Montreal, New York, Guadeloupe and Martinique from July 2018, with one-way fares starting at €99. The group will base two Airbus A330-200 aircraft at Orly, each with 293 economy and 21 premium economy seats.

Level's Paris flights will be operated by staff who currently work for IAG’s French airline OpenSkies, which is based at the airport. The OpenSkies brand will cease to operate at the end of next summer and all of its staff will operate Level flights.

Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Level will launch a new route to Boston in March next year, with flights operating up to three times each week for the summer season. A third A330-200 aircraft will be added to the Barcelona fleet later in the summer providing the opportunity to expand the network further.

Chief executive Willie Walsh said: "Level's Barcelona operation has been an incredible success. Customers love it and Level will be profitable this year. Barcelona was always a first step and today we’re delighted to launch flights from our second European city with four exciting new routes from Paris.

“Like Barcelona, Orly is a Vueling hub which means that customers will be able to fly there from other parts of Europe to connect onto Level. We will also benefit from the local experience and knowledge of the OpenSkies team."