IB left at BA bequest after the joint BA/IB UK-Spain operation agreement.
The Barcelona sector is now swamped by LCC/quasi charter market.
Madrid is said to be too long for Flybe (Anyway BA might have said something behind closed doors – (My Conspiracy- and no actual proof)
And any one else flying the Madrid can cater only for the O & D can't they.
Bmibaby timings were poor to useless for business and Easyjet really have taken the North West - Madrid traffic away to the west for the foreseeable future.
It is my considered opinion the ONLY suitable carrier would be Air Nostrum for IB and if BA let them.
TP/PGA same company and left not just because of loads (which did drop admittedly as a result of predatory FR pricing from LPL) but also because TAP made a commercial decision to focus on *A routes on mainland.
AZ - Well just maybe maybe not - They have a 40 year love hate relationship and if they return its likely MXP - however i would say LHi are more likely now!
NOA- Wait and see , the new Olympic is small but could be prosperous - Again look to Aegean but anyway Easyjet are back in the spring.
AUA- Somehow LH group seem to want them focused East of Vienna these days- To the point of getting Bmi to operate some of the LHR-VIE rotations come spring.
Malev are plain bust - and Jet2 are near daily to Budapest so adequate coverage !
Aeroflot - Will return on code share with CSA in spring via Prague
LOT- Its possible they may return in the next 18 months
Egyptair and Syrian think we can forget.
To Egypt plenty of competition with the quasi Charters to Taba/Sharm/Luxor and Marsa Alam - Cairo is a dead-end really
Syrian -just don't have the airworthy frames and are stretched serving what remains of their network for the foreseeable future.
El-AL are completely undecided and again have relatively few frames for any expansion- Jet2 go two weekly over the summer –that should enough capacity.
Luxair don't see them returning - THEY DID struggle with a jungle jet shared with Dublin. By the way the Dublin route currently survives as a direct link.