TAP Air Portugal celebrated its 80th anniversary today, with several initiatives to mark the festive date, including a 50,000 mile bonus for signing up for the TAP Miles&Go American Express® Credit Card.
Portugal’s national airline was founded on March 14, 1945, by Humberto Delgado. Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, as it was then called, conducted its first regular commercial flight on September 19, 1946, between Lisbon and Madrid, in a DC-3 Dakota aircraft.
80 years later, TAP is Portugal’s best-known global brand and one of the top three largest national exporters. In 2024, the airline carrier more than 16 million passengers. Earlier this year, TAP was ranked as the safest airline in Europe and the eleventh safest in the world by Airline Ratings.
With a fleet of 99 aircraft, this summer the airline will fly more than 1,250 flights per week this summer to 84 cities, 10 in North America, 14 in South America, 12 in Africa, 6 in Portugal and 42 in the rest of Europe.
On May 16, TAP launches service from Los Angeles with nonstop service four times a week to Lisbon. TAP will also add new summer seasonal routes from Boston to Port on May 14, and from San Francisco to Terceira in the Azores on June 3.
Luís Rodrigues, TAP’s President, considers that “we celebrate a historic milestone, the 80th anniversary of TAP Air Portugal. Over these eight decades, TAP has grown from a small carrier, with two aircraft, to become a reference in world aviation, connecting Portugal to the world with excellence, innovation and commitment.”
“This journey was made with the tireless dedication of thousands of workers and the trust of our Customers and Partners. We faced challenges, overcame adversity and, with resilience, reinvented ourselves to continue to fly higher.”
“We look to the future with ambition and determination, investing in fleet modernization, sustainability and continuous improvement of our customers’ experience. TAP will continue to be a bridge between continents, promoting Portugal’s culture and economy and remaining a symbol of our country in the world.”
“To all who are part of this history – workers, passengers and partners – our deepest thanks. May the coming years be of even more achievements and success”, concludes Luís Rodrigues.
50,000 Mile Bonus and New Miles&Go Status For Life
As part of TAP’s anniversary, TAP will be offering US travelers 50,000 bonus miles, through April 14, when they sign up for the TAP Miles&Go American Express® Credit Card. In addition to the 50,000 bonus miles, an additional 10,000 status miles are also offered. The card also offers benefits including lounge access, extra baggage, and priority check-in.
Additionally, Sofia Lufinha, TAP’s Chief Customer Officer, presented Status For Life, a way for TAP to cherish, thank and reward those who are at the center of the airline’s attention and for whose satisfaction it works daily: Customers.
TAP will award Gold and Navigator status For Life to Customers who, in their navigation history on the Company’s flights – data available since 1998 – have already accumulated more than two or three million miles, respectively.
With ‘For Life,’ from now on, the status miles flown with TAP will be counted from the moment the Client registers with Miles&Go and will be displayed on a counter in the reserved area of FlyTAP.com. All customers will be able to track their progress in real time.
New Advertising Film Premieres at BTL
As part of the 80th celebration, TAP premiered a new video, showcasing its role as Portugal’s largest global brand. In this film, TAP planes are presented as being part of Portuguese territory, taking local hospitality and values with them to each destination. More than an airline, TAP is a symbol of national identity, where each employee has the mission of welcoming and hosting all passengers with the warmth and authenticity that make Portugal a unique destination.
TAP’s new film can be seen here.
“Voar É Preciso” (or “Flying is Needed”) Book Debuts for the 80th Anniversary
A commemorative book “Voar É Preciso” (or ”Flying is Needed”) also debuted today as part of the anniversary encapsulating more than 700 images, most of them previously unpublished, of TAP’s eight decade history.
The life of the airline is told through its planes which take on the role of main characters in the story. Through their arrivals, their strategic importance to the airline, the cities they fly to and the routes they inaugurated, the story is told of how these aircraft have helped TAP to evolve over the years as a successful airline.
Published in Portuguese and English, it has dozens of graphs, route maps, plane profiles and lists TAP’s complete fleet, with dates of the first flights, from delivery to the company, to the first and last regular flight.
The authors of the book “Voar É Preciso” are Rita Tamagnini, Director of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at TAP Air Portugal and Gianfranco Beting, a Brazilian photographer, businessman and airline expert.
New Chefs, New Talent, New Inflight Dining with Local Stars
In the celebration of its 80th anniversary, the airline announced the new edition of their Local Stars chefs program.
Six talents of Portuguese gastronomy take part in this project, three women and three men. Each Chef will create two complete menus and each of these menus will be served for two months departing from Lisbon, in Business class, on long-haul flights. The first menu to be featured will by Chef Ana Moura, from the Alentejo Coast, and will be offered onboard in April.
Chefs Marco Almeida, from Coimbra, Lídia Brás, from Trás-os-Montes, Ricardo Luz, from the Algarve, Rita Magro, from Porto, and António Galapito, from Negrais, complete the cast of the new season of Local Stars.
About TAP Air Portugal:
Flying since 1945, TAP Air Portugal is Portugal’s leading airline and the world’s leading airline between Europe and Brazil. A member of Star Alliance since 2005, TAP has its hub in Lisbon, providing unmatched access to Europe, Africa, North, Central, and South America.
This winter, TAP is offering more than 1,050 flights weekly to 80 cities in 30 countries through its network of destinations, comprising 10 in North America, 12 in Central and South America, 13 in Africa and the Middle East and 45 in Europe (including six in Portugal). From North America, TAP offers 77 weekly flights; 60 from seven airports in the USA (New York’s JFK, Newark, Boston, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco and Washington-Dulles) to Portugal (Lisbon and Porto), 12 flights from Canada’s Toronto and Montreal and five flights from Cancun, in Mexico, to Lisbon.
TAP has made a clear commitment to modernizing its fleet and offering the best product in the sector for its customers. The Portuguese airline operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, with all Airbus’ next generation NEO aircraft: A330neo, A321LR, A320neo and A321neo, with superior efficiency and reduced emission levels. TAP also operates 19 Embraer aircraft in its regional fleet (TAP Express).
TAP is considered by Airline Ratings to be the safest airline in Europe and the sixth safest in the world. The airline has been named Best Airline in Europe for 13 consecutive years by the readers of Global Traveler magazine.
TAP Air Portugal has been recognized and awarded as Europe’s Leading Airline to Africa, as well as Europe’s Leading Airline to South America by the World Travel Awards in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. TAP is ranked by Airline Ratings among the 25 safest airlines in the world.
All images credited to TAP Air Portugal
