Summary
- TAP Air Portugal has named an Embraer 190 after the historic city Guimarães, known as Portugal’s Cradle City, as part of their initiative to promote Portugal’s culture and heritage.
- Guimarães is a significant tourist center in the North of Portugal, with a well-preserved Historic Center and Couros Zone that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- The aircraft chosen for the occasion, with registration number CS-TPZ, is part of TAP Air Portugal’s regional subsidiary, Portugália, which operates short and medium-haul flights under the TAP Express brand.
The flag carrier of Portugal has named another aircraft after one of the nation’s favorite historic sites. TAP Air Portugal has chosen to christen a plane from its regional fleet after the historic city of Guimarães, often considered the Cradle City of Portugal. In February, the Star Alliance carrier named another E190 after the coastal town of Cascais.
Why Guimarães?
Guimarães is one of the most significant tourist centers in the north of the country, located less than an hour by car from Porto Airport. Founded in the 10th century CE, Guimarães became the first capital of Portugal in the 12th century. It was notably (and arguably) the birthplace of the nation’s first king, Afonso Henriques (Afonso I of Portugal). The town’s Historic Center and Couros Zone, originally outside the city walls, remain incredibly well preserved and were distinguished as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2001.
A symbolic ceremony was held at Guimarães Town Hall to mark the christening of the Embraer 190, chosen to represent the historic city. Present at the event was the town mayor, Domingos Bragança, to whom the Managing Director of Portugália, Mário Lobato de Faria, presented a model of the aircraft to mark the occasion.
The TAP initiative follows a previous “Embrace Portugal” project, which was announced in 2017 to mark the company’s anniversary. In its role as the airline of the Portuguese people, TAP has confirmed it will continue naming its regional fleet after the 18 districts and the two autonomous regions of Portugal to promote the unique culture, gastronomy, and heritage of each region and strengthen connections between regional cities.
Regional with Portugália
The program’s aircraft are all from TAP Air Portugal’s regional subsidiary, Portugália. The airline began operations in 1990 with Dutch Fokker 100 jets and quickly expanded to become a leader in regional connectivity. In November 2006, it was announced that the airline had been sold to TAP Air Portugal, which continued to operate as a subsidiary until 2016, when it was rebranded as TAP Express.
The airplane chosen for the occasion is an Embraer 190 with the registration number CS-TPZ. The model was first delivered to Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, where it flew for a decade under the registration PR-AZF before being returned to the lesser. Initially owned by Nordic Aviation Capital, the model is believed to be one of the ones transferred to TrueNoord, which is currently listed as the owner on ch-aviation. The plane entered service with Portugália in March 2022 and was most recently spotted operating sectors from Lisbon to destinations including London Gatwick, Dublin, and Nice.
Portugália continues to operate short and medium-haul flights under the TAP Express brand. Assisting in that mission is the company’s relatively fresh fleet of twelve Embraer 190s, with capacity for 106 passengers, and seven Embraer 195, which can carry 118 passengers. In addition to Cascais and Guimarães, several more local aircraft names are expected to be announced in the coming months.