How many aircraft will TAP Portugal be receiving in the next few months?
Miguel Frasquilho - We are about to receive our first Airbus A330-neo in September. It is part of a 21 aircraft orderedwhich will partly replace the aircraft in our long-haul fleet. You might ask why we chose the A330-neo rather than the brand new Airbus A350. Initially, we had the idea of acquiring it in order to develop routes to Asia, where the potential for the A350 is ideal. In the meantime, the company has been privatised and the strategy has changed. We think we need to strengthen our position in our growth markets and the A330-900 neo is more suitable.
In which markets will the Airbus A330-900 Neo actually enter service?
MR F. - Mainly on our routes to the Americas. Not only on our existing routes, but also on routes that we have not served until now, due to the lack of a cost-efficient aircraft. For example, our priority will be to open up the West Coast of the United States, San Francisco or Los Angeles and the A330-900 will be particularly efficient on this type of very long route. We are also thinking of inaugurating new routes in South America. Buenos Aires is in fact a priority in this part of the world, but we are also thinking of services to Mexico and Bogota. The new aircraft will also be ideal for our routes to Brazil, Mozambique and the USA/Canada.
What are the main national markets for TAP Portugal?
MR F. - Brazil, Portugal, the United States and France. In Brazil, we serve nearly a dozen cities, making our company the specialist from Europe. We also see enormous potential in the United States. Not only will we be bringing the new Airbus A330s into service, but also the Airbus A321Neo, small-capacity long-haul aircraft, perfect for additional frequencies to New York from Lisbon or even Porto.
Isn't Lisbon's saturation point a handicap to your expansion strategy?
MR F. - I have to admit that we're struggling because our main hub in Lisbon is completely saturated. There are certainly some palliatives. We're working with the airport authorities to reduce the time between take-off and landing, which could make it possible to reduce the number of flights.handle 42 aircraft movements per hour instead of 36. We are also developing our airports in the provinces, in particular Porto and Punta Delgada in the Azores. Porto already has direct flights to New York and Brazil. But we are looking forward to the opening of a new airport in Lisbon by 2021. In the meantime, we're managing the shortage!
