London, March 4, 2026, 09:11 GMT — Regular session
- IAG shares down about 1.8% at 372p in early London trade, after a choppy start.
- British Airways says it still cannot fly from several Middle East destinations; a Muscat–London flight is planned for March 5.
- Filings show the heads of Iberia and Vueling sold IAG shares, adding to investor caution.
International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) shares fell on Wednesday, with the British Airways owner down about 1.8% at 372 pence in early London trading. The stock has traded between roughly 367.8 and 382.0 pence so far in the session.
The move comes with airline stocks still absorbing a jump in oil prices and new disruption to travel routes as the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran widened. Brent crude was last above $83 a barrel and major Gulf hubs including Dubai remained closed, Reuters reported on Tuesday, while European airline shares including IAG, Wizz Air, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM were down 5% to 8%. J.P. Morgan’s Karen Li said investors are likely to focus on differences such as “hedging strategy” — locking in fuel prices — and rerouting options, rather than treat the sector “as a monolith.” Reuters
British Airways said it remained unable to operate flights from destinations including Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Amman and Tel Aviv. “Working with the relevant authorities we’ve been able to schedule a flight from Muscat to London, departing at 02:30 local time on 5 March,” the carrier said. British Airways Media Centre
Britain’s Foreign Office said a chartered flight would depart Muscat at 1900 GMT on Wednesday, prioritising vulnerable UK nationals seeking to leave the region. “British nationals should not make their way to the Muscat International Airport unless they are called,” it said, adding that about 130,000 British citizens had registered their presence in the region. British Airways also said it would operate a separate flight from Oman in the early hours of Thursday local time. Reuters
A regulatory filing also showed share sales by senior managers at two of IAG’s airlines. Carolina Martinoli, chair and CEO of Vueling, sold 293,889 shares at £4.336 each, and Marco Sansavini, chair and CEO of Iberia, sold 350,000 shares at £4.329 each, the filing said. The notices were made under MAR rules that require “persons discharging managerial responsibilities” to disclose dealings. Investegate
In a separate disclosure, IAG said it held 161,986,089 treasury shares as of March 2, with total voting rights of 4,565,215,058 excluding those shares. Treasury shares are held by the company itself and are typically excluded from voting totals, and the company said the figure could be used as the denominator for shareholder notification calculations to Spain’s CNMV market regulator.
The stock has swung sharply this week. IAG closed down 5.5% on Monday at £4.01 and had touched a 52-week high of £4.64 in the prior session, MarketWatch data showed.
Analyst Russell Pointon at Edison Investment Research said IAG’s recent performance showed strong operating leverage, but flagged the familiar pressure points for airlines, including “volatile fuel” and “rising labour costs.” That mix matters more when oil is moving fast and schedules are being rewritten. Edison Group
But the path from here is messy. If oil prices climb further or route closures drag into the peak booking period, higher fuel bills and weaker demand could squeeze margins again. A quick easing in the conflict — and a calmer crude market — would take some of the air out of the bearish case.
Investors will watch crude prices and any reopening of Gulf air hubs, alongside further updates from carriers on cancellations and rerouting. The next scheduled company catalyst is IAG’s first-quarter 2026 update on May 8, according to its financial calendar.
