TAP Strengthens Brazil Strategy With 15 Destinations and 2.1 Million Expected Transatlantic Passengers in 2026
(IN SHORT) TAP Air Portugal is celebrating 60 years of flights to Brazil, marking six decades of aviation links between Portugal, Europe and one of the airline’s most important international markets. In 2026, TAP expects to carry 2.1 million passengers across the Atlantic between Brazil and Europe, supported by a network that now connects Portugal to 15 Brazilian destinations following the addition of Curitiba and São Luís do Maranhão. The airline said Brazil remains a key growth market and a major strategic asset, with Lisbon and Porto serving as important gateways for Brazilian passengers travelling onward to Europe, Africa and North America. The anniversary also recalls TAP’s first direct jet flight between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro on June 17, 1966, operated with a Boeing 707 named Santa Cruz in honour of the historic South Atlantic crossing by Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho. TAP said the milestone reinforces its long-term commitment to expanding travel, tourism, business and cultural connections between Brazil, Portugal and Europe.
(PRESS RELEASE) LISBON, Portugal, 2026-Jun-11 — /Travel PR News/ — TAP Air Portugal is celebrating 60 years of flights to Brazil, marking a major milestone in a long-standing aviation relationship that has connected Portugal, Europe and Brazil since the 1960s.
The anniversary highlights six decades of route development, tourism growth, business travel and cultural exchange between the two countries. Over that period, Brazil has become one of TAP’s most important markets, supported by a broad network of routes linking Brazilian cities with Portugal and onward destinations across Europe, Africa and North America.
In 2026, TAP expects to carry 2.1 million passengers across the Atlantic between Brazil and Europe, underlining the strength of demand and the strategic importance of the Brazilian market to the airline. The company now connects Portugal to 15 destinations in Brazil, following the addition of new routes to Curitiba and São Luís do Maranhão.
Luís Rodrigues, CEO of TAP Air Portugal, said Brazil has served the company strongly over the last 60 years and has even greater potential for the decades ahead. He described the country as a key market for TAP and one of the airline’s most important assets.
The expansion of routes in Brazil supports TAP’s long-term strategy of strengthening direct connections between South America and Europe. The airline’s network gives passengers in Brazil access not only to Lisbon and Porto, but also to dozens of onward destinations across TAP’s wider international network.
Lisbon and Porto have become important European gateways for Brazilian passengers, helping TAP support tourism flows, business travel and family connections between Brazil and Portugal. The airline has also played a role in deepening cultural and economic links between the two countries.
The anniversary also carries particular historical significance for Rio de Janeiro. TAP operated its first direct jet flight between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro on June 17, 1966, using a Boeing 707 CS-TBA named Santa Cruz. The aircraft name honoured the historic crossing by Portuguese aviators Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho, who completed the first South Atlantic Air Crossing in 1922 aboard the Santa Cruz seaplane.
The 1966 inaugural jet flight, piloted by Captain Silva Soares, carried around 80 passengers and marked the beginning of regular jet services between Portugal and Brazil. It established an air bridge that would become one of the most symbolic links between the two countries.
Before the launch of the direct commercial service, TAP had operated the Friendship Flight in 1960 in partnership with Panair. From 1965, the airline began flying the Brazil route with its own aircraft through Lisbon, Sal, Recife and Rio de Janeiro. The following year, TAP took a decisive step by launching the direct non-stop service between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro.
Since then, Rio de Janeiro has remained a central part of TAP’s Brazil story, welcoming millions of passengers travelling for culture, business, tourism and family reunions. Six decades later, the airline is using the anniversary to reaffirm its commitment to Brazil and to future growth between the Brazilian and European markets.
TAP said it will continue focusing on connections, route development and new opportunities between Brazil, Portugal, Europe and the wider world as it builds on a partnership shaped over 60 years of transatlantic aviation.
Media contact:
corpcom@tap.pt
SOURCE: TAP Air Portugal
