TAP Air Portugal has taken to the skies with its Airbus A321neo RetroJet this week. The airline has entered the plane into commercial service following the delivery of the aircraft in October.

A landmark for the airline

TAP Air Portugal is excited about its A321neo with retro livery and what it calls RetroCrew, which together, reflects the company's rich history. Notably, the plane marks the Portuguese flag carrier's 75th anniversary.

The operator said the following in a Facebook post:

"Today, our retro livery has returned to the skies, on a first special flight of our A321neo Retrojet, from Lisbon to Paris. We thank our partner, O Mundo Fantástico da Sardinha Portuguesa, for his offer to our passengers, celebrating Portugal and TAP's 75th anniversary."

Here is a look at the jet's nostalgic livery:

Hitting the air

According to FlightRadar24.com, the aircraft, which holds registration number CS-TJR, had left Lisbon on December 11:26 on December 3rd. Flight TP436 then arrived just over two hours later at Paris Orly at 14:31. The jet then landed back in France during the same evening at 17:35.

Yesterday, the plane took a trip to London, departing Lisbon at 15:04 and arriving at Heathrow Airport at 17:17. It then made the return trip later on at 19:00 to land at 21:05. All times are local.

Overcoming the challenges

On LinkedIn, TAP Air Portugal chief revenue & network officer Arik De shared that the delivery symbolizes the company's belief in its future. He said that it will not be easy as the business recovers from the challenges of COVID-19. However, if anything, the last nine months has shown the resilience of the airline's staff.

De adds that passengers should look out for the plane at several airports next month. Cities that the jet will fly to include London, Funchal, Luxembourg, Copenhagen, Zürich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Praia, and Hamburg.

Altogether, as the airline remembers its past, it will be looking forward to the new year following one of the most challenging times in its history. TAP Air Portugal will undoubtedly be looking to transport more passengers with the plane in 2021. Nonetheless, following on from its launch of the retro version of the A330 in 2017, the carrier has shown that it is proud of its journey through the years.

Simple Flying reached out to TAP Air Portugal for comment on its services with its new Airbus A321neo RetroJet. We will update the article with any further announcements from the airline.

What are your thoughts about TAP Air Portugal's first flight with its brand new Airbus A321neo RetroJet? Are you looking forward to hitting the skies with the plane? Let us know what you think of the aircraft in the comment section.