Summary
- After eight years, TAP Air Portugal will return to Manaus – this time using the A321LR.
- It will operate three times weekly via Belém, covering 3,940 nautical miles (7,296 km) each way.
- The carrier plans to serve 11 Brazilian airports in the northern winter.
TAP Air Portugal will return to the Amazonian city of Manaus after serving until 2016. While it previously deployed the A330-200 non-stop, the A321LR will be used on a one-stop basis. When it begins in November, it will be the world’s second-longest A321-operated route when one-stop and non-stop services are considered. The development comes soon after TAP announced the start of Lisbon-Florianópolis flights.
TAP to Manaus
Beginning on November 4, TAP will operate three weekly flights to Manaus, each aboard the 171-seat A321LR. It has 13 of them, each with the same layout. There are 16 business seats and 155 in regular economy.
In 2023, TAP’s Henri-Charles Ozarovsky said that the A321LR could make an airline “a lot of money” if it is “used intelligently.”
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The schedule is as follows, with all times local. The route will cover 3,940 nautical miles (7,296 km) each way. Including the ground stop in Belém, it will take 11h 45m to reach Manaus and 11h 20m back. Of course, the intra-Brazilian legs will not have traffic rights due to so-called cabotage.
- Lisbon-Belém: TP51, 10:35-15:50 (8h 15m)
- Belém-Manaus: TP51, 16:50-18:20 (2h 30m)
- Manaus-Belém: TP52, 19:50-2320 (2h 30m)
- Belém-Manaus: TP52, 00:20-11:10 (7h 50m)
Image: GCMap
TAP has served Belém since 2014. Until now, there have been up to five weekly flights from Lisbon. That changes when Manaus launches, with a record six weekly departures: three will continue to Manaus, and three will terminate in Belém. Some days, there will be two Portugal-bound departures at 00:20 and 23:45.
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The world’s five longest A321 routes
Let us look at November and December when Manaus flights will be operational. Using Cirium and OAG data to examine all A321 routes shows that TAP’s Manaus route will cover more distance than all but one other A321-operated route globally. They stop en route rather than running non-stop, which is an unfair comparison. Nonetheless, they are intriguing and significant.
Beond’s A321ceo will arrive in July with 68 seats in an all-business layout. Therefore, comparing routes with typically configured equipment is somewhat unfair (the same applies to La Compagnie). Beond’s maximum block time to Munich is 11h 35m, 10 minutes less than TAP to Manaus.
|
Nautical miles (km) |
Airport pair |
Comments about November-December |
|---|---|---|
|
4,101 (7,601) |
Malé to Munich via Dubai Al Maktoum |
Twice-weekly Beond 68-seat A321ceo (new aircraft in its fleet) |
|
3,940 (7,296) |
Lisbon-Manaus via Belém |
Three weekly TAP A321LR |
|
3,540 (6,557) |
Copenhagen-Washington Dulles |
Six weekly SAS A321LR. The world’s longest non-stop A321 service |
|
3,485 (6,453) |
Milan Malpensa-Newark |
Six weekly La Compagnie A321LR with 76 seats |
|
3,482 (6,448) |
Nice-Newark |
La Compagnie A321LR with 76 seats. It has two flights in these winter months: on December 1 from Newark and December 6 to Newark |
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TAP’s Brazilian network
The Star Alliance member’s Brazilian network in November, when Manaus and Florianópolis will be served, will be as follows. Things may differ at other times, so it is just a snapshot. Flights to Porto Alegre remain suspended due to the considerable floods, while Maceió is no longer served.
Due to Lisbon’s chronic slot shortage, some Recife-Lisbon flights will depart at 05:45. These will be day flights to Europe – exceedingly unusual from South America.
- Lisbon-São Paulo: 18 weekly A330neo
- Lisbon-Rio de Janeiro: 12 weekly A330neo
- Lisbon-Recife: 10 weekly A330-200, A330neo, A321LR
- Lisbon-Fortaleza: daily A330neo
- Lisbon-Natal: daily A321neo
- Lisbon-Salvador: daily A330-200, A330neo
- Lisbon-Belo Horizonte: six weekly A330neo
- Lisbon-Brasilia: six weekly A330neo
- Lisbon-Belém: three weekly A321LR
- Lisbon-Manaus (via Belém): three weekly A321LR
- Lisbon-Florianopolis: three weekly A330-200 (begins on September 3)
- Porto-São Paulo: three weekly A330neo
- Porto-Rio de Janeiro: twice-weekly A330neo
Where else would you like TAP to fly in Brazil? Let us know in the comments section.