Iberia Drives Its Digital Transformation with AWS, but at What Cost to European Technological Sovereignty?

Spanish Airline Partners with AWS but Faces Criticism Over Foreign Dependence

Iberia has announced an ambitious agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its primary cloud services provider, as part of its digital transformation. The airline has fully migrated its infrastructure to AWS’s cloud and deployed multiple solutions based on generative artificial intelligence, big data, and operational automation, resulting in increased efficiency, reduced errors, and new customer experiences.

The migration included over 1,600 servers, more than 1,200 databases, and over 570 applications, including Iberia.com. Additionally, Iberia has created a real-time data platform using services like Amazon SageMaker, which manages millions of daily operations and has developed over 50 AI models.

The Hidden Side of Progress: Technological Dependence Outside Europe

However, this technological push has received criticism from various sectors warning about the growing reliance on American companies for critical processes in strategic European firms. Digital sovereignty experts point out that while AWS offers a solid infrastructure and cutting-edge AI capabilities, Europe has multiple alternatives that can provide advanced solutions with greater control over data and more stringent regulatory compliance.

“It’s concerning that a national company like Iberia, which plays a strategic role in connectivity and infrastructure, delegates its digital operations to a U.S. provider, especially when fully competitive European options exist,” says a cloud sector analyst. “There are cloud and AI service providers in Europe, like OVHcloud, Stackscale (Grupo Aire), Acens, Hetzner, Scaleway, or ArubaCloud, that can offer scalable and secure solutions in strict compliance with GDPR.”

Risks of Jurisdiction and Privacy

One of the key arguments raised by advocates for European cloud solutions is the issue of legal jurisdiction. Despite Iberia announcing that part of its workloads have been migrated to the AWS Europe (Spain) region, as a U.S. company, AWS is still subject to extraterritorial regulations like the U.S. Cloud Act, which could compromise the confidentiality of certain data under specific legal conditions.

In light of this scenario, voices from the sector are calling for greater commitment from large European companies to the local tech ecosystem. “Investing in European providers not only fosters innovation in our territory but also ensures greater control over critical technologies, especially at a time when AI and data management are issues of economic and political sovereignty,” stress representatives from a digital transformation consulting firm.

Balancing Innovation and Autonomy

There’s no question that Iberia is achieving notable technological milestones: virtual assistants based on Amazon Bedrock, sentiment analysis, predictive maintenance, and a data platform capable of processing up to 2 TB daily. Collaboration with AWS has allowed for record-speed modernization of its infrastructure, leading to tangible operational improvements, such as a 38% reduction in errors and a code update deployment process that is ten times faster.

However, the question remains: should a flagship company like Iberia lead its technological revolution with a foreign giant, or should it consider a more hybrid or European model that strengthens resilience, independence, and competitiveness within the continental tech industry?

At a time when the European Union is promoting regulations like the Data Act, the AI Act, and initiatives like GAIA-X, it is increasingly important for key companies in strategic sectors like transportation or energy to make technological decisions aligned with long-term European interests. Innovation should not come at the expense of autonomy.

Source: Iberia Press Release

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