9/14/2017: TAP Portugal Rebrands with “Air”

[In The News]

DALLAS – Today in Aviation, TAP Portugal (TP) was rebranded as TAP Air Portugal in 2017, going back to the name used between 1979 and 2005.

The change was brought about following TP’s expansion into the North American market, where it was felt that many customers would not have associated TAP Portugal as an airline.

TAP began promoting Lisbon (LIS) as a gateway to Europe for North American travelers in 2016. Flights to New York, Boston, and Miami were reintroduced from Lisbon and Porto (OPO).

A Douglas DC-4 of TAP is seen arriving at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) from Lisbon in 1954. Photo: By RuthAS – Own work, CC BY 3.0

History

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The airline was founded on March 14, 1945, as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses. Following the arrival of two Douglas DC-3s, operations commenced on March 19, 1946, with a flight from LIS to Madrid (MAD).

In 1975, TP was brought under state ownership, and in 1979, a modernization program commenced. The company was rebranded as TAP Air Portugal with a new livery and logo.

Tap Portugal tail. Photo: By Maarten Visser from Capelle aan den IJssel, Nederland – CS-TNS A320 TAP tails, CC BY-SA 2.0

A Further Rebranding

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A further rebranding was undertaken for the company’s 60th anniversary in 2005. ‘Air’ was dropped from the title, with the airline becoming simply TAP Portugal. In March, it also became part of the Star Alliance.

In June 2015, 61% of the company’s shares were sold by the Portuguese government to the Atlantic Gateway consortium, led by JetBlue founder David Neeleman. This was subsequently reduced to 45% when the new left-wing government decided to retake majority control.

Today, TP is riding out the COVID-19 crisis with a €1.2bn bailout and is working on a restructuring plan to ensure its future.

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Featured image: TAP Air Portugal CS-TUH Airbus A330-900. Photo: Tony Bordelais/Airways

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