TAP Air Portugal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
TAP Air Portugal

Founded	14 March 1945; 80 years ago (1945-03-14) as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses
Commenced operations	19 September 1946; 78 years ago (1946-09-19)
Hubs	Lisbon Airport
Secondary hubs	Porto Airport
Focus cities	Madeira Airport
Frequent-flyer program	TAP Miles&Go
Alliance	Star Alliance
Subsidiaries	TAP Express
Fleet size	80 (excl. TAP Express)
Destinations	87 (incl. TAP Express)
Headquarters	Lisbon, Portugal
Key people	Luís Rodrigues
Revenue	€ 4.2 billion (2023)
Operating income	€ 871 million (2023)
Net income	€ 177 million (2023)
Total equity	€ -468 million (2021)
Employees	6,626
Website	flytap.com

TAP Air Portugal is the main airline of Portugal. Its main base is at Lisbon Airport. TAP is a member of the Star Alliance, a group of airlines that work together. Since 2005, TAP has been part of this alliance.

The airline flies about 2,500 flights each week. It reaches 90 places in 34 countries around the world. As of May 2019, TAP has 100 airplanes. Most of these are made by Airbus. Some smaller planes are made by Embraer and are used by TAP Express.

TAP Air Portugal started on March 14, 1945. It began flying for customers on September 19, 1946. The airline was first owned by the government. Over the years, it has been owned by both the government and private companies.

In 1965, TAP bought its first Boeing jet, the Boeing 707. By 1967, it was the first airline in Europe to use only jet planes. In 1979, the airline changed its name to TAP Air Portugal. It had 32 modern planes flying to over 40 places. Later, older Boeing planes were replaced with Lockheed L-1011 TriStars and Airbus A310s. By the late 1990s, TAP started using only Airbus planes.

A Look at TAP Air Portugal's History

How TAP Air Portugal Started

A Douglas DC-4 of TAP arriving at London Heathrow Airport in 1954.

TAP Air Portugal was founded on March 14, 1945. Its first name was Transportes Aéreos Portugueses. The airline got its first planes, two Douglas DC-3s, that same year. On September 19, 1946, TAP made its first flight. It flew from Lisbon to Madrid with 11 passengers.

On December 31, 1946, TAP started a long flight route. It was called Linha Aérea Imperial. This route had 12 stops, including places like Luanda, Angola, and Maputo, Mozambique. It was a very long trip for planes at that time.

In 1947, TAP began flying within Portugal. It started routes between Lisbon and Porto. It also added an international route to London. Four Douglas DC-4 Skymasters were bought that year. These planes were used for flights to Africa and major European cities. In 1948, new flights to Seville and Paris began.

Becoming a Private Company

In 1953, TAP became a private company for the first time. It started new flights to Tangier and Casablanca. Later in 1955, TAP bought several Lockheed Super Constellation planes. These planes made flights to Africa much faster.

In 1955, TAP made an important test flight. It flew across the Atlantic Ocean to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. By the end of the 1950s, TAP was flying 64,000 passengers a year. It had over 1,000 employees.

In 1960, TAP started its first regular flights to Brazil. This was a special service called "Friendship Flight." In 1961, a new route from Lisbon to Goa was added. This flight took 19 hours and had five stops.

The Jet Age Begins

A Sud Aviation Caravelle VI-R of TAP at London Heathrow Airport in 1966.

In July 1962, TAP started using jet planes. It bought three Sud Aviation Caravelle jets from France. These jets were used on busy European routes. New flights to Las Palmas and Santa Maria Island in the Azores also started. In 1963, flights to Geneva, Munich, and Frankfurt began.

Rossio Square, Lisbon, in June 1968, showing a TAP advertisement.

A TAP Boeing 747-200B in 1984.

On June 19, 1964, TAP carried its one-millionth passenger. The next year, TAP bought its first Boeing 707 jet. Two years later, it added the smaller Boeing 727. In 1966, TAP made its first solo flight to Brazil. This flight was a special event, marking a historic journey.

In 1967, TAP became the first European airline to use only jet planes. In 1969, flights to New York City began. Two years later, Boston was added to this route. In 1971, TAP moved its main office to Lisbon Airport. In 1972, TAP received its first Boeing 747-200 planes. By the end of the 1970s, TAP had 32 modern planes. They flew to over 40 places on four continents.

In 1974, TAP started a new computer system. It helped with booking flights and checking in passengers. By the end of 1974, TAP had flown over 1.5 million passengers. It had over 9,000 staff members.

Becoming a Government-Owned Company Again

After a big change in Portugal in 1974, many companies became government-owned. TAP became a state-owned company in 1975.

Later, in 1979, the airline started a plan to become more modern. It changed its name to TAP Air Portugal. This new name was easier for people around the world to remember.

Modernizing the Fleet

A TAP Air Portugal L-1011-500 at Lisbon Portela Airport in 1988.

A TAP Air Portugal A340-300 in 1995.

In the 1980s, TAP replaced its older Boeing 707s and Boeing 747s. It started using Lockheed L-1011 TriStars and Airbus A310s for long flights. In 1983, TAP began using Boeing 737-200s for shorter flights. In 1988, it started a new system for tickets. It also became the first airline to use satellite connections for planes.

In 1985, TAP started a company called Air Atlantis. This company offered flights for vacations to many European cities.

In 1991, TAP carried three million passengers in one year for the first time. In 1993, flights to Tel Aviv began. In 1996, flights to Boston and Macau started. TAP also launched its website that year.

By the late 1990s, TAP updated its fleet again. It sold its older Boeing 727s and 737s. It replaced them with Airbus A319, A320, and A321 planes. Its TriStars were replaced with Airbus A340s. These changes made TAP an airline that used only Airbus planes. This made its fleet more efficient. In 1999, TAP started "Blue Flights" where smoking was not allowed.

In 1997, TAP worked with Swissair. This partnership was meant to help TAP improve. However, Swissair faced money problems and ended the agreement.

The Twenty-First Century

A former Fokker 100 of TAP Air Portugal's subsidiary Portugália Airlines.

In February 2005, TAP Air Portugal changed its name to TAP Portugal. On March 14, 2005, TAP joined the Star Alliance. This was also the airline's 60th birthday. TAP also started working with United Airlines as part of the Star Alliance.

In 2006, TAP bought most of the regional airline Portugália. It also started working with US Airways for flights between Portugal and the United States.

In 2007, NATO gave TAP an award for being the best at repairing engines and aircraft. TAP has repair centers in Portugal and Brazil. It also has maintenance stations in three continents. In June 2009, TAP started flights to Moscow, Warsaw, and Helsinki.

TAP Air Portugal tail fins.

In 2010, TAP added two new routes to Africa: Marrakesh and Algiers. These new routes showed TAP's plan to grow in Africa. In 2011, new long flights to Miami and Porto Alegre began.

Changes in Ownership

David Neeleman, who owned part of TAP between 2015 and 2020. He also started jetBlue and Azul.

Miguel Antunes Frasquilho, Chairman of TAP from 2017 to 2023.

Portugal's government decided to sell its part of TAP in 2012. Several companies were interested. In 2015, a group called Atlantic Gateway bought 61% of TAP. This group was led by David Neeleman and Humberto Pedrosa. They promised to keep Lisbon as the airline's main hub for at least 30 years. They also planned to buy 53 new Airbus planes for TAP.

Christine Ourmières-Widener, TAP's CEO from 2021 to 2023.

In October 2015, a new government in Portugal wanted the state to own most of the airline again. In February 2016, a deal was made. The Portuguese state owned 50% of the company. The Atlantic Gateway Consortium owned 45%. The remaining 5% was for TAP employees.

On January 14, 2016, TAP Air Portugal announced that Portugália Airlines would be renamed TAP Express. Its planes would get a new look, similar to TAP Air Portugal's. TAP also stopped some long flights to places like Panama City.

TAP wanted to promote Portugal as a place for tourists. In February 2016, it announced new daily flights to New York's John F. Kennedy International and Boston's Logan International. These flights used new Airbus A330-200s. This made TAP's flights to the US grow to 30 per week.

In 2017, TAP added 10 new routes. These included flights to Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Alicante and Las Palmas, Spain; Bucharest, Romania; Budapest, Hungary; Cologne and Stuttgart, Germany; Fez, Morocco; Lomé, Togo; London City Airport, United Kingdom and Toronto, Canada.

On September 14, 2017, TAP Portugal changed its name back to TAP Air Portugal. This was the name it used between 1979 and 2005.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 Crisis, the Portuguese government helped TAP with a loan. This was to help the airline during the difficult time.

In 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation took action against several airlines, including TAP. This was because of long delays in giving refunds to customers.

Future Plans for Ownership

In September 2022, the Portuguese government announced plans to sell the company again. They want to sell it when the market is right. The government believes TAP is important for Portugal's economy.

TAP Air Portugal's Business and Brand

TAP head office in Lisbon.

TAP's main office is in Building 25 at Lisbon Airport.

Other Companies TAP Owns

TAP Air Portugal has several other companies that it owns or partly owns:

• TAP Express (100% owned)
• Groundforce Portugal (49.9% owned)
• TAP Maintenance and Engineering (100% owned)
• TAP Maintenance and Engineering Brasil (90% owned)
• TAP Tours (100% owned)
• TAP Serviços (100% owned)
• CateringPOR (51% owned)
• Megasis (100% owned)
• UCS (100% owned)

TAP also used to own part of Lojas Francas de Portugal (LFP). This company runs duty-free shops at airports and on TAP flights.

TAP Cargo

TAP Cargo is the part of TAP Air Portugal that handles air freight. It does not have its own cargo planes. Instead, it uses space on TAP's passenger flights to carry goods. It also works with other airlines for special cargo routes.

Branding and Look

On February 28, 2011, TAP started a new advertising campaign. It was called "TAP With Arms Wide Open." The campaign featured singers from Brazil, Portugal, and Angola. This showed the connection between people in Portuguese-speaking countries.

In 2005, TAP showed its current logo and plane design. This was when it joined Star Alliance and celebrated its 60th anniversary. The name changed from TAP Air Portugal to TAP Portugal. But on September 14, 2017, it went back to TAP Air Portugal. The first logo from 1945 had a blue wing with the letters TAP.

TAP Museum

The TAP museum started in 1978. It officially opened on March 14, 1985, for the company's 40th birthday. It was first at the company's main office in Lisbon. Later, in 2010, a new, bigger museum opened. It is part of the Museu do Ar (Air Museum) in Sintra. This museum shows the history of flying in Portugal. Visitors can see 40 aircraft, including a TAP Douglas DC-3, and other interesting exhibits.

Awards TAP Air Portugal Has Won

In 2007, NATO gave TAP Air Portugal an award. It was for being the best at repairing engines and aircraft for the NATO AWACS program. TAP has also won awards from Airbus Industries for its maintenance work. It is certified by important aviation groups like the FAA and EASA.

In 2010, British Condé Nast Traveler magazine named TAP Air Portugal the "World's Best Airline." It was also named the "Best Airline to South America" in 2009 and 2010 by the World Travel Awards. This group is like the "Oscars" for the travel industry. TAP has often won awards for its great service and performance.

In 2017, Monocle magazine gave TAP the award for "most handsome crew."

Where TAP Air Portugal Flies

As of June 2017, TAP Air Portugal flies to 87 places. These are in 34 countries across Europe, Africa, North America, and South America. Some flights within Portugal, Europe, and Africa are operated by TAP Express.

TAP Air Portugal is the top European airline flying to Brazil. It offers more destinations from its hub in Lisbon than any other European airline. Many Europeans fly through Portugal to get to Brazil.

In March 2016, TAP Air Portugal started a special shuttle service. It connects Lisbon and Porto airports with flights every hour. This service is called "Ponte Aérea" and is operated by White Airways for TAP Express. By 2019, TAP Air Portugal planned to add 15 new routes and get 15 new planes.

Airlines TAP Works With

TAP Air Portugal has agreements with many other airlines. This means you can sometimes book a flight with TAP, but fly on another airline's plane. These are called codeshare agreements.

TAP Air Portugal's Fleet

A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320-200.

A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321neo.

A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A330-900.

Current Aircraft

As of January 2024, TAP Air Portugal uses only Airbus planes. Here are the types of aircraft they have:

TAP Air Portugal was the first airline to use the Airbus A330neo. This happened in November 2018. TAP ordered 21 of these planes. By September 2018, they expected to have 133 planes in their fleet by 2025. This includes planes for TAP Express.

Past Aircraft Used by TAP

Before its current fleet, TAP Air Portugal used these types of aircraft:

Services on TAP Air Portugal

Airport Lounges

TAP Air Portugal has two special lounges at Lisbon Airport. The TAP Premium Lounge is for top-tier members and business class passengers. The Blue Lounge is for other special members.

Inside the Planes

A TAP Air Portugal A330neo interior design.

TAP planes have two main sections: business class (called tap|executive) and economy class. TAP does not offer first-class service. On shorter and medium flights, the planes have new leather seats. Business class offers more privacy and meal choices.

On long flights, the newer planes have modern screens. These screens offer movies and shows. The older Airbus A340 planes also got new seats and entertainment systems in 2013. In business class, seats can turn into flat beds.

TAP's in-flight magazine is called UP. You can read it on the plane or online.

Airspace by Airbus

TAP is also one of the first airlines to use a new cabin design called "Airspace." This design helps airlines fit more seats while keeping comfort.

Frequent Flyer Program

TAP Air Portugal has a loyalty program called Miles & Go. It used to be called Victoria. Members earn miles based on how far they fly and their ticket type.

As a member of Star Alliance, you can also earn miles with other Star Alliance airlines. Joining the program is free. The Miles&Go program has three levels:

• The basic level, with no special mileage needed.
• TAP Miles&Go Silver (Star Alliance Silver), for those who fly 30,000 miles or 25 flights in a year.
• TAP Miles&Go Gold (Star Alliance Gold), for those who fly 70,000 miles or 50 flights in a year.

Accidents and Incidents

TAP Air Portugal has a good safety record. In January 2021, it was ranked 22nd safest among 100 large airlines.

• On January 27, 1948, a Douglas DC-3 plane crashed during a training flight near Lisbon. All 3 people on board died.
• TAP Air Portugal Flight 425: On November 19, 1977, Flight 425 crashed at Madeira Airport. This was TAP's deadliest accident. The Boeing 727 was landing in heavy rain. The plane landed too late and went off the runway. The runway was only 1,600 meters long at the time. The plane broke apart and caught fire. Out of 164 people, 131 died and 33 survived. This crash led to the runway at Madeira being extended. It was made longer in 1983-1986 and again in 2000. Now, it can handle very large planes.
• TAP Air Portugal Flight 1492: On September 2, 2022, a TAP plane hit a motorcycle on the runway. This happened at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport in Conakry, Guinea, during landing. The two people on the motorcycle died. Everyone on the plane was safe. The plane's engine was damaged.