International Airlines Group (IAG) has confirmed Javier Sánchez-Prieto as new chairman and chief executive of Iberia.

Sánchez-Prieto is currently chairman and chief executive of Vueling, the IAG-owned no-frills carrier based in Barcelona.

He will take over from current Iberia chairman and chief executive Luis Gallego in March when Gallego succeeds Willie Walsh as IAG chief executive in June.

Sánchez-Prieto, who has run Vueling since 2016, having previously worked as Iberia chief financial officer, said: "It's a great honour to have been asked to lead Iberia. The airline has undertaken an outstanding transformation and my objective is to ensure it goes from strength to strength."

IAG has appointed Marco Sansavini, currently Iberia chief commercial officer, as chairman and chief executive of Vueling.

IAG is listed on the Madrid stock exchange as well as in London and the Spanish connection will increase assuming the group’s €1 billion acquisition of Air Europa gains regulatory approval. The deal was announced in November.

Walsh said: "I'd like to congratulate Javier and Marco on their new roles and am absolutely confident they are the right people to lead Iberia and Vueling."

"Both have worked in the group for several years and have fantastic track records, proving once again that we have extremely talented people internally that we are able to promote to our top jobs.

Gallego said: Both Javier and Marco have considerable knowledge and experience of the Spanish and international markets. I'm delighted that they will be part of my team when I take up my new role and I'm confident they will continue to develop their airlines' successful strategies.”

Sánchez-Prieto has led Vueling since 2016.

He was previously strategic planning and finance director at Iberia, where he worked on the airline’s financial turnaround from 2013, joining from Iberia Express where he was chief financial officer when the subsidiary was formed in 2012

Prior to that he worked at Iberia franchise partner Air Nostrum.