Over the weekend, Romanian low-cost carrier Blue Air significantly increased its presence in Portugal. Saturday, April 16th saw the launch of two new routes to the country, serving both the mainland (Porto) and the island of Madeira (Funchal). These have helped it become the largest airline connecting Romania and Portugal.

A big weekend for Blue Air

The Easter weekend marked a significant milestone for the Bucharest-based budget carrier, as it inaugurated flights to its second and third Portuguese destinations. Previously, its only route to the country linked the Romanian capital's Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) with Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS).

The first of the new routes to take to the skies did so on Saturday afternoon, with its destination being Funchal's Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (FNC), on the island of Madeira. According to a statement published by Blue Air, these flights will operate weekly. The all-Boeing low-cost operator adds that:

"Ticket prices start from €29.99 one way, all taxes and fees included. Flights will be operated with state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly Boeing 737 MAX 8 equipment featuring the comfortable Boeing Sky interior."

K66685 - blue air 737 MAX
The Romanian low-cost airline is looking to attract investment. Photo: Boeing

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Celebrating with a sale

Later in the evening on Saturday, April 16th, Blue Air's inaugural flight from Bucharest to Porto's Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) also took to the skies. The airline clearly foresees this being the more popular of the new services, given that it eventually plans to operate these pan-Europe flights on a twice-weekly frequency.

Both of the new routes will run on a seasonal basis, with their period of operation concluding at the end of October. They carry a strong focus on leisure, which Blue Air is tapping into with the launch of a corresponding sale. While they are already very reasonable, starting as low as €29.99 ($32.36), the Romanian low-cost carrier is also offering a further discount. It explains that:

"To mark the new routes' launch and meet the strong demand for Portugual holidays, this weekend Blue Air is rolling out the 'FULL BLOOM' campaign, offering 20% off on all flights with travel dates by October 31st, 2022."

Blue Air Portugal Map
Blue Air is now the largest airline connecting Romania and Portugal. Image: Blue Air

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A punctual opening weekend

Blue Air's new routes to Portugal got off to an ideal start as far as punctuality was concerned. Despite leaving Bucharest 20 minutes late at 14:20 local time, flight 0B1981 reached Funchal three minutes early at 17:42 (five hours 22 minutes airborne). Similarly, the return leg (0B1982) reached Bucharest five minutes early at 01:35, despite leaving Funchal 11 minutes late at 18:41.

FlightRadar24.com shows that the inaugural Bucharest-Porto service (0B1057) was even more punctual. It left the Romanian capital just three minutes behind schedule, at 19:13 local time, and touched down in Porto 38 minutes early at 21:07. 0B1058 back to Bucharest left just four minutes late, at 22:39, and landed back in Romania 35 minutes early at 04:25 the following morning.

What do you make of Blue Air's new routes? Have you ever flown with the carrier to or from Portugal? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!