TAP announces direct flights to Buenos Aires

Portuguese airline TAP has announced a direct flight to the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.

The airline’s President of the Board, Miguel Frasquilho made the announcement during a meeting of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

The service will depend on the delivery of new Airbus planes which are being incorporated in the Portuguese airline fleet.

Miguel Frasquilho used the occasion to highlight the “historic success of TAP” a company that has managed to consolidate at a time when the “country faced an internal (economic) crisis and a European Union bailout.

Three years ago, TAP was “a loss-making public company without the capital needed to modernise its fleet, but the entry of private investors with a 50% share permitted growth.”       

Frasquilho said the crisis had ended and that TAP was “expanding its fleet with new aircraft and operations in Europe, Latin America and the USA and Canada.

“TAP is excited with this new project and hopes that the Argentinians take advantage of the opportunity to visit Portugal.”

TAP has ordered 53 new Airbus A320neo aircraft, some of which have already been delivered. The project was announced by its new shareholders including David Neeleman, the founder of Azul, and foresees the purchase of 15 A320neo, 12 A321neo, 12 A321LR (long-range) and 14 A330-900neo for which TAP is the first customer.  

Flights to Buenos Aires should start in 2019. Around 15,000 Portuguese visit Argentina annually.