TAP Portugal is to increase its presence in the United States following the delivery of its first Airbus A330neo.
The company is launching direct flights to Washington-Dulles and Chicago O’Hare airports as part of next year’s summer schedule.
The carrier will be running a five times a week services to Chicago from Lisbon from June 1, 2019.
The flights will depart from Lisbon at 13:05 and arrive in Chigaco at 16:05, local time. The return from Chicago leaves at 18:05, arriving into Lisbon at 07:50 the next morning.
These services will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
David Neeleman, the major shareholder in TAP through Atlantic Gaterway whcih he owns with Humberto Pedroso, stated that “this is only just the beginning” for the carrier and that, “the expansion to Chicago and Washington, DC reflects what an increasingly popular destination Portugal has become, especially with visitors from the U.S.”
Services to Washington will commence on June 16, 2019 also operating on a five times per week basis.
The Washington D.C. flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing Lisbon at 16:30, arriving in Washington D.C. at 19:40. The return leaves Dulles airport at 22:40, arriving into Lisbon at 10:50 the next day.
The Portuguese carrier operates from its hubs in Lisbon and Porto, with 2,500 flights to 84 destinations in 34 countries.
TAP’s expansion plans are held back only by a continuing inability of Lisbon airport to offer more capacity and the inability of the government to decide on and authorise a second airport to take the pressure of Lisbon's Humberto Delgado airport.
