TAP Air Portugal has around 100 aircraft in its fleet. However, the vast majority of these will be grounded in schedule changes announced today. In fact, the airline will operate just 25 international flights per week.

The aviation industry is facing a crisis like never before. A contagious virus has effectively brought the industry to its knees, particularly in Europe. While we've seen a number of carriers decide to ground their fleets entirely, several are persevering, albeit with reduced operations. One of these airlines is TAP Air Portugal, the Portuguese flag carrier.

Schedule decimated

The TAP Air Portugal flight schedule has been completely decimated by the global coronavirus crisis. As of 21:45 last night (18th March 2020), TAP Air Portugal had already announced cancellations to 60 different destinations. Some of these planned suspensions last until the 15th of June.

TAP Air Portugal, Flight Schedule, Coronavirus
TAP will continue with just five transatlantic routes for the time being. Photo: GCMap

However, the carrier released a new schedule today, which will be in force from Monday for the next four weeks. Of course, as is the case with the other temporary flight schedules issued by airlines, they could become more restricted and also extended. The new TAP schedule sees a seriously reduced service for the routes lucky enough to stay open.

TAP Air Portugal, Flight Schedule, Coronavirus
Six European routes will be maintained. Photo: GCMap

TAP is currently only running 11 international routes. One to South America, four to North America, and six to Europe. Here's a list of the routes that will remain, along with their frequency:

  1. Sao Paulo (GRU) - 3x per week;
  2. Newark (EWR) - 2x per week;
  3. Boston (BOS) - 2x per week;
  4. Toronto (YYZ) - 2x per week;
  5. Miami (MIA) - 2x per week;
  6. Luxembourg (LUX) - 2x per week;
  7. Geneva (GVA) - 2x per week;
  8. Frankfurt (FRA) - 2x per week;
  9. London (LHR) - 4x per week;
  10. Paris (ORY) - 2x per week;
  11. Amsterdam (AMS) - 2x per week.
TAP Air Portugal, Flight Schedule, Coronavirus
The reduced flight schedule is currently due to operate for a period of four weeks. Photo: TAP Air Portugal

Far more domestic services

TAP will, however, maintain a much more frequent service within the confines of the country's borders. In fact, while the Portuguese flag carrier is only operating 25 international flights, the number of domestic flights is almost double this. To just four destinations, TAP Air Portugal will operate 45 rotations per week. The following destinations will be served:

  • Porto (OPO) - 3x per day;
  • Funchal (FNC) - 2x per day;
  • Ponta Delgada (PDL) - 1x per day;
  • Terceira (TER) - 3x per week.
TAP Air Portugal, Flight Schedule, Coronavirus
Three domestic routes will maintain daily services. Photo: GCMap

Of course, nobody knows exactly how the situation is going to progress. It could begin to improve by the time this interim schedule expires, or it could get worse. In the latter case, this could see more border controls implemented, or a further decrease in demand. Should Portugal close its borders, for example, the 25 international flights would need to be cut.

Are you due to fly with TAP Air Portugal soon? What do you make of this reduced schedule? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.