Portuguese carrier TAP is looking to ramp up its operations this summer, hoping to have 100 routes by August. These 100 routes will be served by 879 weekly flights and include eight domestic routes, increased flights to the Azores, and service to new destinations in Europe and Africa. Let's take a look at what the airline has planned for its Summer 2021 schedule.

TAP Air Portugal in San Francisco
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

"The summer 2021 network plan was designed to allow for flexibility depending on how the pandemic develops, on demand and route profitability, all with a view to ensuring the company’s sustainability within the overall restructuring process." -TAP Air Portugal

879 weekly flights on 100 routes

Hoping for the best in terms of the global health crisis, where exactly is TAP flying with this planned boost in operations?

Domestic services

Come August, TAP Air Portugal hopes to operate a total of eight domestic routes with 126 weekly flights.

Azores: To the autonomous Portuguese islands known as the Azores, TAP will operate 22 weekly flights, including:

  • 12 flights per week from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada.
  • Three flights per week from Porto to Ponta Delgada.
  • One daily flight from Lisbon to Terceira.

Madeira: TAP will increase its service to Madeira over the next few months. By August, the airline will have the following:

  • Five daily flights from Lisbon to Funchal*.
  • Two daily flights between Porto and Funchal*.
  • TAP will restart its service to Porto Santo, with five flights per week from June.

*Funchal is also known as Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, Madeira, or Madeira Airport.

Mainland Portugal: On mainland Portugal, TAP will operate the following services:

  • Four flights per day between the capital of Lisbon and the northern city of Porto.
  • In August, TAP will operate three flights per day between Lisbon and the southern city of Faro.
TAP also serves a number of destinations in the Americas. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

European and African services

TAP also plans to operate 555 weekly flights to European destinations in August. Meanwhile, to Africa, the airline will fly 83 weekly flights. This includes the following eight new destinations:

  • Fuerteventura (Spain),
  • Ibiza (Spain),
  • Santiago de Compostela (Spain),
  • Zagreb (Croatia),
  • Djerba (Tunisia),
  • Agadir (Morocco),
  • Monastir (Tunisia),
  • Oujda (Morocco).
The eight new destinations TAP will serve this summer. Photo: GCMap.com

As for existing destinations, TAP will fly to the following cities:

  • Luanda (Angola), six times weekly
  • Maputo (Mozambique), three times weekly,
  • Bissau (Guinea-Bissau) three times weekly,
  • São Tomé (São Tomé and Príncipe) four times weekly,
  • Praia (Cape Verde) ten times weekly,
  • Sal (Cape Verde) three times weekly,
  • São Vicente (Cape Verde) seven times weekly.

Service to the Americas

Heading further afield, TAP will operate 61 weekly flights between Portugal and Brazil as well as 51 weekly flights to the North American cities of Boston, Newark, Chicago, Washington, San Francisco, Toronto, and Montreal.

In Mexico, TAP will operate three flights per week between Lisbon and Cancun.

The A330 is the airline's main long-haul aircraft, having retired its A340s in 2019. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

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Subject to change

TAP says that it will "monitor the evolution of the pandemic and its impacts on operations." This is a nice way of saying that its schedule is subject to change, as new and unexpected government-imposed policies may restrict international travel.

The carrier will update its list of routes and flights available via its booking system as circumstances dictate, noting that tickets purchased before May 31st for travel up to December 31st, 2021, can be changed free of charge.

Do you think TAP's summer schedule is too ambitious considering the uncertain nature of the global health crisis? Or is this an appropriate plan? Let us know in the comments.