The chief executive of TAP, Fernando Pinto has been at the 41st Congress of the Portuguese Association of Travel Agencies in Albufeira and hinted strongly that a partnership with Irish carrier Ryanair was more than just a rumour.
Pinto said that all the airline’s routes are under review but would not be drawn on the proposed removal of TAP long-haul flights to and from Oporto which has caused a degree of turbulence with passengers in the north of the country and Galicia.
As for a partnership with Ryanair, following up on Michael O’Leary’s recent comments that the Irish carrier was negotiating a commercial partnership with TAP, Fernando Pinto began by saying:
"I think it's great progress. Ryanair when it came here said that TAP would disappear. Now they want to 'code-share' with TAP.
"I will not say we do not talk, there are contacts. If this brings benefits for both businesses, we will obviously seek partnerships. We now have a chance to choose. There’s nothing on the table but I think in the future (a partnership) can happen,” added Pinto.
Pushed on the Oporto affair with TAP moving long-haul flights fromt he north, Fernando Pinto said that nothing is decided and that the carrier is "to make a review of the network as a whole."
"We have had 20 days of privatisation. There are certain markets that we have not even stopped to look at yet," he said, admitting that, unlike in Lisbon where the company is strong, there are more difficulties in competing successfully from Oporto.
"In Oporto we have to see what the strategy will be for achieving consolidation. That is the work we are doing, but we have great respect for Oporto," said Pinto, rather unconvincingly.
The 41st Congress runs until Sunday with over 500 delegates from the tourism sector, under the theme 'Sharing the Future'.
The conference was addressed by keynote speaker and new tourism boss Ana Mendes Godinho in her first public speech as Secretary of State for Tourism.
Godinho said she planned to "give special attention to the Algarve region to combat seasonality with measures involving the private and public sectors."
Her government’s plan for tourism is "More growth, more equality and more jobs."
"Tourism plays a key role in these objectives, being a strategic pillar for employment and rising exports. The figures released show the strength of tourism through economic cycles and its ability to find answers to the challenges that arise."
Godinho said that it is essential that the State creates the conditions for investment, which promotes stability, and establishes clear rules, referring obliquely to the Alojamento Local fiasco. Also, to have a voice in EU policy-making to benefit Portugal and to be able to step back when not needed and to let companies engage in their 'core' business.
The Secretary of State highlighted her department’s continued promotion using online promotional tecniques and the overall government policy to increase people’s disposable income which many can use to take a break within the country.
