Summary
- TAP Air Portugal is launching an early Black Friday promotion with low-cost fares available across its domestic and international networks.
- Each economy and business class fares can be found starting at €49 ($53) and €319 ($346), respectively.
- TAP has experienced strong passenger growth and financial improvement in 2023, recording a 30% year-on-year increase in passengers and record-breaking quarterly profits.
TAP Air Portugal is launching this 12 months’s Black Friday promotion nearly per week early, kicking off the pre-holiday deal extravaganza with flights starting as little as €49 ($53).
Extending across its international and domestic network, the Portuguese flag carrier shall be offering low-cost flights until November 24. Destinations range from short-haul jaunts corresponding to Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) to far-flung locales including
São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in Brazil, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in South Africa, and Caracas’ Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) in Venezuela.
While economy class fares start at €49, TAP’s fare promotion can be available for business class seating. For those who’ve got a taste for the finer things, tickets for the premium travel class start at €319 ($346).
Photo: Bradley Caslin / Shutterstock
Low-cost fares can be found to book on dates from November 16 to May 31, 2024. Black-out dates include the busy holiday travel season, between December 15 and January 10, in addition to the easter holiday period spanning from March 21 to April 24.
Tickets aren’t limited to only Portuguese customers; in accordance with TAP, residents in Europe, the UK, Brazil, and other major markets may also access the savings. Further details can be found on TAP’s website.
Improving climate
Despite financial difficulty through the pandemic, TAP has breezed through 2022 and 2023, delivering some decent financial results and robust passenger figures.
In the course of the first half of 2023, the airline recorded a 30% year-on-year passenger growth, with over 7.5 million passengers traveling with TAP throughout the first six months of the 12 months. Alongside general passenger growth, TAP has seen an enormous increase in demand for travel to South America. Between January and October, 1.6 million passengers flew with TAP to Brazil, one among its key markets, a 23% increase in comparison with the identical period in 2022. As of November 2023, TAP operates over 80 departures each week to 11 destinations in Brazil from its hubs at Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) and Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO).
Photo: VanderWolf Imgaes/Shutterstock
The surge in demand has helped the carrier shrink its deficit, with TAP recording a record Q3 profit of €203 million ($220 million) in October, allowing the airline to repay its 2019-2023 bonds and shrinking its debt / EBITDA ratio to 2.4x. In an announcement shared by the airline, CEO Luís Rodrigues celebrated the carrier’s recent market successes because it continues to expand its operations,
Privatization efforts remain underway following the federal government’s decision to formally launch the method in September. Though a buyer has yet to be confirmed, interested parties include Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM, IAG, and Brazil’s government, due to its expansive Brazilian network.
The method will see the Portuguese government sell a 51% controlling stake within the currently state-owned operator because it attempts to shirk off a few of its recent operational deficits. Completion of a deal is just not expected until 2024.
Will you be flying with TAP next 12 months? Tell us within the comments.