Iberia's inaugural Madrid‑Buenos Aires DC‑4 flight carried 28 passengers in September 1946

The inaugural DC‑4 flight on Iberia's Madrid–Buenos Aires route took place on 22 September 1946 and carried 28 passengers; one‑way tickets cost 11,435 pesetas and round‑trip tickets cost 20,583 pesetas, the latter equivalent to about 17,800 dollars at today’s exchange rate.

Regular service began with a frequency of every ten days, and the airline considered terms such as aeromozas, aeroviarias, mayordomas and provisorias before choosing “azafata” for the new profession; the first flight’s catering included fried chicken, Spanish tortilla, hard‑boiled eggs and chocolate truffles in small cardboard boxes, and since 2020 the uniform has been navy blue, red and yellow, designed by Teresa Helbig.