RPT-CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-Iberia posts 9-month oper loss

(Repeats to new new story number, corrects paragraph 5 to show figure is a loss, not profit)

* EBIT loss widens to 330.9 mln euro vs 16.1 mln year ago

* Net loss 181.9 mln euros vs profit 51.1 mln year ago

* Oct passenger traffic down 5.1 pct

* Oct load factor 80.6 pct vs 79.3 pct yr-earlier

MADRID, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Spanish airline Iberia IBLA.MC posted bigger than expected nine-month operating losses on Friday, evidence of the difficulties it aims to address by the planned merger with British Airways announced on Thursday.

"The airline industry in Spain is facing exceptionally difficult circumstances," Iberia said in a statement.

Iberia and BA BAY.L have agreed a $7 billion merger to create the world's third-largest airline by revenue in an aim to cope with the industry's largest downturn in decades. [ID:nLC092017]

The International Air Transport Association expects airlines to lose $11 billion in 2009. [ID:nL3308270]

Iberia said its loss before interest and taxes widened to 331 million euros, while analysts had on average forecast a 320 million euro loss. [ID:nLA686112]

The airline swung to a net loss of 181.9 million euros from a 51.1 million euro profit a year ago as the economic crisis continued to dent passenger numbers, Iberia said on Friday.

Iberia carried 5.1 percent fewer passengers in October, while its load factor -- a measure of how full its planes fly -- improved to 80.6 percent. (Reporting by Tracy Rucinski, editing by Will Waterman) ($1=.6668 Euro)