TAP AIR PORTUGAL CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF HISTORY AND FLIGHTS TO BRAZIL | News

The airline has transported more than two million passengers between Brazil and Europe.

For six decades, TAP Air Portugal has been connecting Portugal and Europe with Brazil. In 2026, the airline will celebrate 60 years of history marked by the expansion of international aviation, the strengthening of ties between the two countries and activities that have made the Brazilian market one of the most important for TAP.

During this period, the airline has expanded its operations in the country and now has one of the largest networks of connections between the two markets. In 2026, TAP expects to transport 2.1 million passengers across the Atlantic Ocean, underscoring the importance of the Brazilian market.
“Brazil has served the company very well over the past sixty years and will serve it even better over the next sixty years,” said Luís Rodrigues, CEO of TAP Air Portugal. “The country has enormous growth potential and remains an important 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 tourists and business travelers, as well as for passengers looking for international connections, as TAP offers further 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 of tourism and demand for direct connections between South America and Europe. “Brazil is an important player and perhaps one of TAP’s greatest assets at the moment,” says Luís Rodrigues. “We believe in the potential of the country 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.

On this special occasion, TAP reaffirms its commitment to the Brazilian market and looks ahead to the next chapters of a partnership forged sixty years ago, with a focus on growth, connections and new opportunities between Brazil and Europe.

Rio de Janeiro and TAP – A historical connection

TAP performed its first direct jet flight between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro on June 17, 1966, with the Boeing 707 CS-TBA, named “Santa Cruz” in honor of the historic crossing of Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho, piloted by Captain Silva Soares. Exactly 44 years before this flight, Portuguese pilots arrived in Rio de Janeiro aboard the seaplane Santa Cruz, 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 bond between the two countries.

Prior to the first commercial flight, TAP conducted the “Friendship Flight” in 1960, in collaboration with Panair. From 1965, the airline began to operate the route with its own aircraft, connecting Lisbon-Sal-Recife-Rio de Janeiro. But it was in 1966 that TAP took a decisive step and launched 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 created a lasting bridge between two worlds and today, sixty years later, 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, Carlos Antunes, TAP’s Director for the Americas, Carlos Oliveira, Chairman of TAP, and Luís Rodrigues, CEO of TAP, are present at the event in Rio de Janeiro celebrating 60 years of TAP Air Portugal flights to Brazil.

TAP Air Portugal currently flies from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester airports in the UK and from Dublin in Ireland to Lisbon and Porto with onward connections to Brazil, Africa, Madeira, the Azores, the US and Canada. TAP has a stopover program that allows passengers on long-haul trips to stop in Lisbon or Porto for up to ten days without additional flight costs.

Tickets for flights can be booked at https://www.flytap.com/en_gb/ or through travel agencies.