TAP Air Portugal

TAP Air Portugal
IATA ICAO Call sign
TP TAP AIR PORTUGAL
Founded14 March 1945; 79 years ago (1945-03-14)
(as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses)
Commenced operations19 September 1946; 78 years ago (1946-09-19)
HubsLisbon Airport[1]
Secondary hubsPorto Airport
Focus citiesMadeira Airport
Frequent-flyer programTAP Miles&Go
AllianceStar Alliance
SubsidiariesTAP Express
Fleet size80
Destinations87[2] (incl. TAP Express)
HeadquartersLisbon, Portugal
Key peopleLuís Rodrigues [3]
RevenueIncrease € 4.2 billion (2023)
Operating incomeIncrease € 871 million (2023)
Net incomeIncrease € 177 million (2023)
Total equityIncrease € -468 million (2021)[4]
Employees6,626 [4]
Websitewww.flytap.com

TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal,[1] headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and operates on average 2,500 flights a week to 90 destinations[5] in 34 countries worldwide. As of May 2019 the company has a fleet of 100 aircraft,[6] all of which are manufactured by Airbus with the exception of 19 aircraft manufactured by Embraer, operating on behalf of the regional airline TAP Express.[citation needed]

The airline was established on 14 March 1945 and began commercial services on 19 September 1946. Having been founded as a national institution, the airline was privatised for the first time in its history during 1953. Throughout its existence, TAP has alternated between public and private ownership.

In 1965 it bought its first Boeing-built jetliner, the 707. In 1967, the airline became the first in Europe to exclusively operate jets. In 1979, the airline underwent a modernisation programme, changing its name to TAP Air Portugal. By the end of the decade, the airline operated a fleet of 32 modern airliners that served in excess of 40 destinations on four continents. During the 1980s, the fleet of Boeing 707s and 747s was replaced with Lockheed L-1011 TriStars and Airbus A310s on long-haul routes. In 1983, TAP started operating its first Boeing 737-200s on short-haul routes. By the late 1990s, TAP had sold its Boeing 727s and 737s, replacing them with Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. Its Lockheed L-1011 TriStars were also replaced by Airbus A340s. These changes led to TAP becoming an Airbus-only operator and exclusive customer of the European aircraft manufacturer ever since.[citation needed]

The current Portuguese government has unveiled plans to reprivatize the airline.[7] The Portuguese Court of Audits has been highly critical of the public intervention on TAP.[8] In 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced 'historic' enforcement actions against six airlines, including TAP: $126.5 million in required refunds paid and a $1.1 million penalty, 'for extreme delays in providing refunds'.[9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference TAP reports 11.3% traffic growth on African routes in 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "TAP Air Portugal on ch-aviation". ch-aviation. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Government sacks TAP CEO". The Portugal News. 7 March 2023.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Annual Report and Accounts 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Discover the fleet". Flytap. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  6. ^ "TAP já tem uma frota com 100 aviões. Estima receber mais 10 neste ano". Dinheiro Vivo. 20 May 2019. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  7. ^ [1] Portuguese Government to Sell TAP Portugal, Aviation Source News, Jamie Clarke, Retrieved 15.11.2022.
  8. ^ [2] Portuguese Court of Audits Assessments on the State's General Account of 2021, Portuguese Court of Audits, Retrieved 06.10.2022, in Portuguese.
  9. ^ [3] More Than $600 Million in Refunds Returned to Airline Passengers Under DOT Rules Backed by New Enforcement Actions Issued Today, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, Retrieved 15.11.2022.