TAP Air Portugal wins funding for aircraft modification

The national carrier of Portugal TAP recently won a European Commission competition which will give the carrier some €2.35 million to adapt its aircraft with three high tech systems.

 TAP won The European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) competition where it applied for European funding under the Connecting Europe Facility programme. The programme, run by the Innovation & Networks Executive Agency (INEA), was created by the European Commission to encourage innovation and development, creating trans-European networks in the transport sector, including the air transport area.

TAP Air Portugal to add a third new US. route for 2019.................Lisbon - San Francisco 5 times a week

TAP Air Portugal will fly five weekly nonstop round-trips, year-round, between San Francisco and Lisbon from June next year.  San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will become the airline’s eighth North American gateway and the only one on the west coast.  Last month TAP announced new routes to Lisbon from Chicago O’Hare and Washington-Dulles, also starting in June.

The SFO flights will operate Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, from June 10, departing SFO on at 4:10pm, and arriving in Lisbon at 11:25am the following morning.  Returning flights leave Lisbon at 10am, arriving into SFO at 2:40pm.  Economy fares from SFO to Lisbon start at just $380 one way, all-inclusive of taxes, or from $800 round-trip.

“We’re excited to keep adding new cities from the USA to Portugal,” said David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue Airways and a major shareholder in TAP. “Despite being a 73-year old airline, this year TAP is one of the world’s top 10 fastest growing airlines.  As Portugal has become a more popular destination, US travellers have not only found out about Portugal but also about flying TAP beyond Lisbon to our 70+ destinations across Europe and Africa.”

"We are proud that TAP Air Portugal has selected SFO for its growth plans on the United States West Coast," said Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. "We share TAP Air Portugal's passion for making air travel an enjoyable experience, and travellers in the San Francisco Bay Area can look forward to an easy and economical new way to travel to Portugal and beyond."

New nonstop services between Lisbon from Washington-Dulles & Chicago O’Hare for TAP Air Portugal

TAP Air Portugal is expanding its global route network with two new routes to the United States in 2019. The national carrier of Portugal carried more than 14 million customers in 2017 and being named one of 2018’s 10 fastest-growing carriers is adding nonstop services to Washington, DC and Chicago.

TAP will commence five round-trip flights per week between Lisbon and Chicago O’Hare from June 1st, 2019. The service will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, departing Lisbon at 1305, arriving into O’Hare at 1605. The return flight departs Chicago-O’Hare at 1805 arriving in Lisbon at 7:50am the following morning.   

The airline will then be starting a new service to Washington-Dulles on June 16st next year.  The flights operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, which leave Lisbon at 1630, arriving at Dulles at 1940pm. On the return the flights will depart at 2240 arriving in Lisbon at 10:50 the next day. 

TAP is the launch carrier for the new aircraft with 21 planned for delivery in the next two years.  In all, TAP has a new fleet of 71 aircraft being delivered, also including 19 A320neos, 17 A321neos, and 14 A321 Long Range jets.   The 73-year-old national carrier has been breaking records in the last few years, boarding   

TAP Air Portugal gets first Airbus A330-900

Airbus delivers first A330-900 to launch operator TAP Air Portugal

A major step forward took place this week in the development of the new Airbus A330-900nea as the launch customer TAP Air Portugal took delivery of the first one.

The world’s first new-generation widebody A330neo will offer TAP unbeatable operating economics, increased range, and Airbus’ new Airspace cabin offering passengers the best in class comfort. The Portuguese carrier will take delivery of a further 20 A330-900s in the coming years.

TAP Air Portugal’s first A330-900 is leased from Avolon. It features 298 seats in a comfortable three-class lay-out with 34 full-flat business class, 96 economy plus and 168 economy class seats. The Airspace by Airbus cabin offers more personal space, larger overhead storage bins, advanced cabin lighting and the latest-generation in-flight entertainment system and connectivity. The aircraft will be deployed on routes from Portugal to the Americas and Africa.

“I am delighted to welcome the first Airbus A330-900 into our expanding fleet. Its unbeatable economics and efficiency will power our business forward,“ said Antonoaldo Neves, TAP Air Portugal CEO. “The A330neo will give us a lot of operational flexibility thanks to its commonality with the other Airbus aircraft in our fleet. This aircraft will be the first equipped with the new Airspace cabin, which is a new concept shaped to meet TAP’s ambition to offer the best product in the industry to our passengers,“ he added.

airBaltic launches new route to Bordeaux and agrees codeshare deal with TAP Air Portugal

The Latvian airline airBaltic and the national airline of Portugal TAP Air Portugal have signed a special codeshare deal which will enable airBaltic passengers more and diversified options to travel within the vast network of TAP Air Portugal including Brazil, Portugal and Africa. In turn, this agreement will offer TAP Air Portugal passengers better connectivity to the Baltics, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “We are delighted to start codeshare flights with TAP Air Portugal, which is among the largest airlines in Europe. TAP Air Portugal is already our 21st codeshare partner, thus we are further extending impressive portfolio of partner airlines that ensures smooth and seamless travel for airBaltic customers around the world. airBaltic will sell flights between Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn and TAP Air Portugal domestic network via Lisbon, as well to Lisbon via common gateways, better connecting Baltics to the world.”

“Our newest partnership with airBaltic will allow TAP Air Portugal customers to take advantage of new direct flights to Latvia and connecting services to the Baltic countries, thereby adding convenience and travel options to Northern Europe, in complementarity with TAP direct services to Scandinavia and Finland,” stated Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of TAP.

TAP's Future in Doubt

Portugal's troubled airline TAP will face a massive consolidation, cutting staff and routes if the ongoing 10 day strike by air crew hamper the carriers planned privatisation the Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said yesterday.

Pilots at the Portuguese airline commenced their strike action on 1st May, which the airline claims has reduced scheduled flights by over 30 per cent.

The strike comes just before a May 15 deadline for bids to buy a majority stake in what is now a wholly state-owned company. The government has said it will go ahead with the privatisation despite the strike.