TAP receives two new Airbus A330neo aircraft on the same day
- Long Haul fleet now has 19 Airbus A330neo aircraft.
- Airbus A330neo model now accounts for 70% of total flight time.
- TAP fleet has radically transformed and moved ahead technologically in four years.
- New aircraft offer unbeatable economy and efficiency, boosting Company’s growth.
TAP has received two more Airbus model A330neo aircraft in Lisbon. The flights delivering the Airbus A330neos CS-TUQ and CS-TUS took off from Toulouse and landed in Lisbon last Friday evening. The Company’s Long Haul fleet now has 19 aircraft of this model, which now provides 70% of the Company’s total Long Haul hours flown.
The Airbus A330neo is a cutting-edge aircraft. The new aircraft incorporates the latest-generation, highly efficient Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines as well as a new, larger-span wing with 3D optimisation and with new sharklets to provide the best aerodynamic performance.
As the world’s first Airline to operate the Airbus A330neo, TAP has opened the way for a new type of Long Haul travel. The 298-seat Airbus A330neo offers passengers a more comfortable, quieter journey and more advanced technology, including a state-of-the-art on-board entertainment and connectivity system.
It should be noted that the Airline is also a pioneer in offering unlimited free text messaging, via wi-fi, on transatlantic flights for all passengers.
A radically transformed and technologically advanced fleet
TAP has invested significantly in renovating and modernising its fleet over the last four years. The investment has allowed:
- Renovation of the cabins in existing aircraft by installing new seats and reconfiguring the existing classes to Business Class, an innovative EconomyXtra which is an improved economy class, and the traditional Economy Class;
- Creation of a new brand – TAP Express – for regional and domestic routes and changing over the Portugália fleet;
- Renovation of the medium-haul fleet with new-generation Airbus aircraft;
- Introduction of the Airbus model A321LR, a medium-haul aircraft that can fly intercontinental routes, benefiting from the Lisbon hub location;
- Renovation of the Long Haul fleet by replacing the older aircraft with state-of-the-art aircraft such as the Airbus A330neo, unleashing a new era with a more modern fleet.
Investment in more modern, efficient and comfortable equipment, tailored to the Company’s ambition to offer its Customers the industry’s best product allows TAP to increase its offer and expand to new destinations, boosting its competitiveness.
In 2015, the Portuguese Company expected to have 17 Long-Haul aircraft at the end of 2019, of which eight would be NEO and nine CEO (previous-generation aircraft). However, the North American and Brazilian markets’ attractive growth opportunities, as well as the low efficiency of the old TAP fleet, led the Company to bring forward the new aircraft’s arrival. Currently, the Long-Haul fleet has 19 Airbus A330neo and seven Airbus A330ceo.
With the success of this entire process, TAP has proven itself to be the world’s only company able to replace 70% of its Long-Haul fleet with latest-generation aircraft in just one year.
Its medium-haul fleet currently has 56 aircraft, made up of 19 latest-generation aeroplanes: seven A320neo, eight Airbus A321neo and four Airbus A321LR, and 41 CEO (previous-generation aircraft).
In the last four years, the TAP fleet has grown from 75 aircraft to 107 aircraft, an increase of more than 40%. In total, over the course of this year the Airline expects to receive another 10 of these four Airbus models: A320neo, A321neo, A321LR and A330neo. And 71 by 2025, consequently boasting one of the world’s most modern and competitive fleets.
