Salgado Filho International Airport in Brazil suffered severe flooding earlier this year.
TAP Air Portugal will resume flights to Porto Alegre in Brazil from early April, nearly a year after severe flooding in the region prompted the suspension of service.
Flights between Lisbon Airport and Porto Alegre’s Salgado Filho International Airport will be offered three times per week from April 1, 2025, using an Airbus A330-900neo aircraft.
The 5,464-mi. (4,748-nm) route was halted in May following widespread floods caused by heavy rains and storms that hit the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and the adjacent Uruguayan cities of Treinta y Tres, Paysandú, Cerro Largo and Salto.
Damage sustained during the floods forced the closure of Salgado Filho International Airport until October, when it was able to partially reopen. The airport fully reopened on Dec. 16, marking the end of a seven-month period of extensive repairs.
“With the resumption of the offer of direct flights between the southernmost capital of Brazil and Europe, TAP fulfills the commitment it made on the date it was forced to suspend this connection and is pleased with the reopening of Porto Alegre airport to international flights,” TAP said in a statement.
The Star Alliance member’s return to Porto Alegre follows the launch of a new nonstop service from Lisbon to Florianópolis, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, in September. In November, the carrier also resumed flights to Manaus-Eduardo Gomes International Airport after an eight-year hiatus, operating a one-stop service from Lisbon via Belém with A321neo aircraft.
Speaking to Aviation Week when the Florianópolis route commenced, TAP Group Head of Strategy Henri-Charles Ozarovsky said the destination had been under consideration for several years, citing growing demand and codeshare partnerships with Brazilian airlines Azul and GOL as key factors.
“We continuously monitor data from various regions to identify profitable and sustainable routes. When the opportunity arose to expand to Florianópolis, we saw it as a strategic move to leverage existing operations and partnerships," Ozarovsky added.
From Lisbon, TAP now serves São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belém, Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Natal, Maceió, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Florianópolis and Manaus, as well as connecting Porto to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
According to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser, TAP has a 24.3% capacity share of the Europe-Brazil market during December 2024, putting it ahead of LATAM Airlines Group on 22.2%. Air France and KLM have a combined 15.5% share, while British Airways and Iberia have 11.4% of the market.
Earlier this month, TAP announced plans to add Los Angeles to its North American network next summer, launching nonstop service from Lisbon as part of a broader expansion that includes two additional Portugal-U.S. routes.
Flights between Lisbon and Los Angeles are set to begin on May 16, 2025, initially operating three times per week through Oct. 25 using A330-900neo aircraft. A fourth weekly roundtrip will start on May 25.
Additionally, flights linking Porto and Boston Logan International Airport will start on May 14, operating four times per week through Oct. 25 using A321LRs. A route connecting Terceira in the Azores and San Francisco International Airport will follow on June 3, with weekly flights through Aug. 26 on A330-900neos.
Related Content
