With one million passengers carried between January and August 2025, France is one of the most dynamic European markets for TAP Air Portugal.
The Portuguese national airline, which connects several major French cities to Lisbon and Porto every day, is thus consolidating its position as the benchmark carrier between Europe, Africa and South America.
" France is a major point of sale in Europe "underlines Frédéric GossotSenior Director Sales & Distribution TAP Air Portugal. " We are seeing solid demand, with traffic perfectly balanced between point-to-point and transit. ".
A Paris-Lisbon air bridge and heavy transit traffic
With 49 weekly flights between Paris and Lisbon, i.e. up to 8 rotations a day, TAP Air Portugal offers a genuine air shuttle, much sought-after by business travellers for its flexibility. There are also around twenty frequencies on the Paris-Porto route. The airline also offers 12 weekly flights to Toulouse, 12 weekly flights to Marseille and Nice and 12 weekly flights to Lyon. On the regional routes, the airline has introduced Embraer 190 or 195 aircraft.
France is also a major market for connecting traffic. According to Frédéric Gossot, Africa is the leading market for connecting traffic from France. Demand is strong for Cape Verde, followed by Dakar and the major routes in Portuguese-speaking Africa (Angola, Mozambique).
Nevertheless, Brazil remains the third-largest transfer market from France in terms of volume. " Brazil remains and will continue to be a strategic focus: TAP now serves 13 destinations and 15 Brazilian routes, mainly from Lisbon, but also from Porto. A total of 91 flights a week. Services to Porto Alegre and Manaus were relaunched in autumn 2024, with Manaus served via Belem" says Frédéric Gossot.
The 2024-2025 winter programme will focus on consolidating the long-haul network. In particular, TAP will continue the Lisbon-Los Angeles route, inaugurated in the spring. Throughout the winter timetable, the airline will operate three weekly frequencies with Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. The carrier is landing at eight airports in the United States, even though this network is more difficult to sell from France, admits Frédéric Gossot. " However, there is demand on the Toulouse-Miami route via Lisbon." he says.
More services for business travellers
In terms of services, despite the saturation of Lisbon airport and pending the planned opening of a new airport in 2034, TAP is maximising its service at the current hub. Timetables have been reorganised to facilitate connections. " We have lengthened the minimum connection times, which significantly improves the success rate.explains Frédéric Gossot.
For business travellers, 2025 was marked by a number of initiatives. TAP Air Portugal opened a new bonded lounge in Miami in the spring, which it shares with Avianca of Colombia. The airline is also due to open its own 30-seat lounge at Orly in the very near future.
On board, the carrier is now offering wifi and Bluetooth on all A320 and A321neo aircraft. " New this year is the TAP FOR BIZ offer. This programme is designed to support companies of all sizes - from SMEs to large multinationals - by simplifying travel organisation, reducing costs and giving access to exclusive advantages and benefits." says Frédéric Gossot. The aim is to take care of the business market, which remains solid for TAP Air Portugal in France.
