This is one of the company's biggest milestones since its creation in 2017.

With the AOC, the company goes from being a commercial brand to an airline, which will provide LEVEL with operational autonomy.

Obtaining the certificate will also facilitate the deployment of LEVEL's future expansion and growth plans to continue contributing to the development of Barcelona's long-haul.

LEVEL, IAG's long-haul airline in Barcelona, ​​has experienced a historic moment today by obtaining its Air Operator Certificate (AOC). This is a major milestone for the company, which began its flights seven years ago, which will allow it to consolidate its new-generation airline model and boost its commitment to the development of long-haul from Barcelona.

Obtaining the AOC represents a very significant step for the company. Created in 2017 as a commercial brand operated by Iberia, the Air Operator Certificate makes LEVEL an airline with operational autonomy and will provide it with greater agility to achieve its strategic objectives. In this way, LEVEL will have its own entity, results and processes within IAG, in the same way as the rest of the airlines in the group (Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling).

The consolidation of LEVEL as an airline will also generate a greater economic impact in Catalonia, both directly and indirectly, with the creation of new jobs. To obtain this certificate, the company has needed to double its office staff this year, creating a new Operations team and scaling up the rest of the departments. The technical crews (commanders and co-pilots) and the cabin crew will also form part of the new LEVEL structure. To this end, the corresponding selection processes have already been held.

According to Rafael Jiménez Hoyos, CEO of LEVEL: “Today is a historic day for LEVEL. Obtaining our Air Operator Certificate is a fundamental step for our airline, which will contribute to undertaking our growth and expansion plan while creating a legacy and know-how for long-haul flights in Barcelona. This milestone marks the beginning of a new stage, in which we will continue working with the same commitment to consolidate LEVEL as an efficient, innovative and customer-oriented airline, connecting Barcelona with the world directly and without stops.”

Obtaining the AOC, a process that was announced in November 2023

The announcement that LEVEL would have its own AOC was made public at IAG's Capital Market Days in November 2023. It was three months later, in February 2024, when the process began to make this license a reality, starting with creating a new Operations team to lead this project.

Since then, the company has worked hard to obtain the AOC. The certificate guarantees that the operation complies with the safety standards set by the State Agency for Air Safety (AESA). In parallel, the operating license has also been obtained, a permit that certifies that the company's operations are financially sustainable, also issued by AESA.

With the AOC and the operating license, the last phase of the process begins and will take place from now on and during 2025. During this period, the relevant procedures will be carried out progressively to obtain the operational permits to fly to each country and granted by each state authority. In the case of LEVEL, these are Argentina, Chile and the United States.

When this last process is completed, LEVEL will begin to operate with the IATA code “LL”. In fact, this will be the only change perceptible to passengers. The assigned ICAO code is “LVL”, while the call sign or callsign of LEVEL for communications with the control tower will be “Dalí”, a clear nod to Catalan culture and the roots of the airline.

The new stage of LEVEL

The company faces new challenges and opportunities in this new stage. One of the pillars of the airline's future strategy is to continue developing Barcelona's long-haul, helping to strengthen the intercontinental connection from Barcelona. The airline will continue to reinforce direct connectivity between Barcelona and key airports in America, such as its current destination cities: New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile.

In this new stage, LEVEL plans to welcome its seventh aircraft in the coming weeks and have eight aircraft in its Airbus A330-200 fleet in 2026.

LEVEL will also continue to consolidate its Fly your Way philosophy, a value proposition that offers an affordable, easy and close travel experience to inspire people to explore the world in their own way with a personalized and differential service.