TAP AIR PORTUGAL CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF HISTORY AND FLIGHTS TO BRAZIL | News
The airline has carried over two million passengers between Brazil and Europe.
For six decades, TAP Air Portugal has been connecting Portugal and Europe to Brazil. In 2026, the airline will celebrate 60 years of a history marked by the expansion of international aviation, the strengthening of ties between the two countries, and operations that have established the Brazilian market as one of the most important for TAP.
Over this period, the airline has expanded its operations in the country and now boasts one of the largest networks of connections between the two markets. In 2026, TAP expects to carry 2.1 million passengers across the Atlantic, underlining the importance of the Brazilian market.
“Brazil has served the Company very well over the last 60 years and will serve it even better over the next 60,” says Luís Rodrigues, CEO of TAP Air Portugal. “The country has enormous growth potential and remains a key market for TAP.”
With the new routes to Curitiba and São Luís do Maranhão, TAP now connects Portugal to 15 destinations in Brazil, expanding travel options for leisure and business travellers, as well as passengers seeking international connections, given that TAP offers onward connections to dozens of destinations in Europe, Africa and North America.
This expansion reinforces the Company’s long-term strategy in Brazil, keeping pace with the growth in tourism and demand for direct connections between South America and Europe. “Brazil is a key player and perhaps one of TAP’s greatest assets at the moment,” says Luís Rodrigues. “We believe in the country’s potential and in the opportunities that still exist to bring Brazilians and Europeans even closer together.”
The relationship between TAP and Brazil has grown over the years. Lisbon and Porto have become important gateways for Brazilian passengers to Europe. TAP has thus also contributed to the development of tourism, business and cultural exchange between the two countries.
To mark this special occasion, TAP reaffirms its commitment to the Brazilian market and looks ahead to the next chapters of a partnership forged six decades ago, with a focus on growth, connections and new opportunities between Brazil and Europe.
Rio de Janeiro and TAP – A historical connection
TAP operated its first direct jet flight between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro on 17 June 1966, with the Boeing 707 CS-TBA, named “Santa Cruz” in honour of the historic crossing by Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho, piloted by Captain Silva Soares. Exactly 44 years before this flight, the Portuguese aviators arrived in Rio de Janeiro aboard the Santa Cruz seaplane, thus completing the first South Atlantic Air Crossing.
The inaugural flight carried around 80 passengers and marked the start of regular jet services between Portugal and Brazil, establishing an air bridge that would become a symbol of the link between the two countries.
Prior to the first commercial flight, in 1960 TAP operated the “Friendship Flight”, in partnership with Panair. From 1965 onwards, the airline began operating the route with its own aircraft, linking Lisbon–Sal–Recife–Rio de Janeiro. But it was in 1966 that TAP took a decisive step, launching the direct, non-stop service between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro.
Since then, Rio de Janeiro has become a symbol of the bond between Portugal and Brazil, welcoming millions of passengers who have crossed the oceans in search of culture, business and reunions. TAP Air Portugal has built a lasting bridge between two worlds and today, six decades on, celebrates this history with an eye to the future, reaffirming its commitment to continue bringing Portugal, Brazil, Europe and the world closer together.
In the attached photo are Carlos Antunes, TAP’s Director for the Americas, Carlos Oliveira, Chairman of TAP, and Luís Rodrigues, CEO of TAP, at the event in Rio de Janeiro marking 60 years of TAP Air Portugal flights to Brazil.
TAP Air Portugal currently flies from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester airport in the UK and from Dublin in Ireland to Lisbon and Porto with onward connections to Brazil, Africa, Madeira, Azores, the USA and Canada. TAP has a stop over programme allowing passengers to stop in either Lisbon or Porto on long haul journeys for up to 10 days for no additional air fare.
Tickets for flights can be booked at https://www.flytap.com/en_gb/ or through travel agents.
