TAP Air Portugal tempted to add its 11th destination in Brazil
The government of Santa Catarina, Floripa Airport, and TAP Air Portugal have come together to negotiate a direct connection between Florianópolis (FLN), Brazil, and Lisbon (LIS), Portugal.
Since the inauguration of the new terminal at Hercílio Luz International Airport, the concessionaire and the government of Santa Catarina have been seeking the addition of new international destinations. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, in 2019, of the ten Brazilian cities most visited by international tourists, three were in the southern state of Santa Catarina.
TAP Air Portugal with a second destination in southern Brazil
According to our associated media, AeroIn, the parties involved have taken a step further to make the long-awaited connection, initiated in 2022, a reality. Officials commented that the inaugural flight could be in 2024.
Currently, TAP only flies to Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, with three weekly flights on Airbus A330-900s with a capacity for 298 passengers, being the only option for Catarinenses outside of São Paulo.
According to information obtained through the Cirium platform, TAP Air Portugal is the airline with the largest capacity between Brazil and Europe, with up to 152 weekly flights, providing more than 43,000 seats per week.
TAP’s current destinations in Brazil are:
- From Lisbon (LIS):
- Belém (BEL); four weekly flights on A321neo (LR).
- Belo Horizonte (CNF); six weekly flights on A330-900.
- Brasília (BSB); six weekly flights on A330-900.
- Fortaleza (FOR); seven weekly flights on A330-900.
- Maceió (MCZ); two weekly flights on A321neo (LR).
- Natal (NAT); five weekly flights on A321neo (LR).
- Recife (REC); seven weekly flights on A330-900.
- Rio de Janeiro (GIG); ten weekly flights on A330-900.
- Salvador (SSA); six weekly flights on A330-900.
- São Paulo (GRU); 17 weekly flights on A330-900.
- From Porto (OPO):
- Rio de Janeiro (GIG); two weekly flights on A330-900.
- São Paulo (GRU); three weekly flights on A330-900.
The government seeks more flights in Florianópolis
In 2017, Flughafen Zurich AG obtained the concession for Hercílio Luz Airport. In 2018, the company began construction of the new terminal located on the opposite side of the main runway and the extension of the landing strip from 2,300 to 2,400 meters in length.
In 2019, the new terminal was inaugurated, consisting of 49 check-in counters, 14 boarding gates, 3 international and 11 domestic, in an area of 49,000 square meters capable of serving 8 million passengers annually. In addition, it has a publicly accessible viewing deck with a panoramic view of the aircraft platform.
The new platform can simultaneously accommodate 18 aircraft, 10 with jet bridges, unlike the old one, which only had space for 5 planes.
With the new terminal inaugurated, officials have been promoting the destination with various airlines to add new international connections, including JetSMART, SKY Airline, LATAM, Avianca, Copa Airlines, and now, TAP Air Portugal.
Currently, their regular and seasonal international flights are:
- Aerolíneas Argentinas (summer): Buenos Aires/Aeroparque, Córdoba, and Rosario.
- AZUL: Montevideo (regular).
- Flybondi: Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (regular).
- GOL: Buenos Aires/Aeroparque (regular); Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (summer) and Córdoba (summer).
- LATAM (summer): Santiago de Chile.
- Paranair (summer): Asunción.
- SKY Airline: Santiago de Chile (regular).
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