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On September 3, at 5:16 PM Brazil time, the first flight of TAP Air Portugal landed at Hercílio Luz International Airport (FLN), connecting Florianópolis with Lisbon (LIS). This route becomes the only regular service between the capital of Santa Catarina and Europe.
TAP Air Portugal will offer three weekly flights connecting Florianópolis with Lisbon, providing access to its extensive European destination network. Until now, flights from Florianópolis to Europe were primarily operated by LATAM, GOL, and Azul, through connections at other hubs.
Catiane Seif, Deputy Secretary of Tourism for Santa Catarina, emphasized the importance of this new service: “The arrival of TAP is a sign of prestige and confidence in this new phase for Santa Catarina and will further enhance the tourist experience in the state.”
With this launch, Santa Catarina expands its direct international connections, including flights to Argentina, Chile, Panama, Portugal, and Uruguay. During the southern summer season, routes to Paraguay and Peru will also be added.
Details of the new service and TAP’s fleet
The route will initially be operated with Airbus A330-200 aircraft, with a capacity of 269 passengers (25 in business class and 244 in economy class), offering a total of 1,614 seats per week. In 2025, TAP will upgrade this route to the Airbus A330-900, which will have 298 seats and a premium economy option.
Due to slot limitations at Lisbon Airport, flight times vary between 10:10 and 11:40 AM. Arrivals in Florianópolis are scheduled between 5:15 and 6:45 PM, with departures from Brazil between 7:35 and 10:20 PM. The arrival in Lisbon will take place between 9:50 and 11:40 AM the following day.
TAP Air Portugal is the leading airline connecting Brazil and Europe, and the second in international passenger numbers in Brazil, according to ANAC. In the first seven months of 2024, TAP transported 1,175,343 passengers, achieving an 8.28% market share.
Despite the temporary suspension of flights to Porto Alegre due to flooding, TAP offers between 90 and 100 weekly flights, with an average of 13 daily flights between Lisbon and 12 Brazilian cities, in addition to two routes from Porto.
The carrier operates numerous flights between Brazil and Europe, including 5 weekly flights to Belém (increasing to 6 in November), 7 to Belo Horizonte, 6 to Brasilia, 3 to Florianópolis, and 7 to Fortaleza (increasing to 9 in summer). There are also 3 weekly flights to Maceió via Natal, 3 to Manaus via Belém, 6 to Natal (increasing to 7 in November), and 9 to Recife (rising to 13 in summer).
Rio de Janeiro is served with 12 weekly flights, Salvador with 7, and São Paulo with 18 (rising to 21 in summer). From Porto, TAP operates 2 weekly flights to Rio de Janeiro and 3 to São Paulo.
