Summary

  • TAP Air Portugal’s top 5 narrowbody routes are long-haul transatlantic flights to Brazil, Washington DC, and Toronto.
  • These long-range flights use Airbus A321LRs with increased range capabilities.
  • The route from Belém to Lisbon is TAP’s longest narrowbody route at 3,726 miles with 20 monthly flights and no competitors.

TAP Air Portugal, the nation’s largest airline, operates an extensive route network across Europe, North America, and South America. The airline has a fleet of 21 Airbus A330 widebody aircraft, but it also utilizes its narrowbody planes for medium—to long-haul routes.

According to the aviation analytics company Cirium, the carrier’s top five longest narrowbody aircraft routes are all transatlantic and operated from TAP’s primary base at Lisbon International Airport (LIS), Portugal. Notably, most of these routes are to Brazilian destinations, with the other two serving Washington DC and Toronto. This comes as no surprise as the Brazilian market makes up a substantial portion of TAP’s network.

TAP's top 5 longest narrowbody route network

Photo: Great Circle Mapper

In addition, all of these long-range routes are operated by the airline’s

Airbus A321LR

aircraft, which has 13 units, as per ch-aviation data. According to Airbus, the A321LR has an increased Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 97 000 kg and two or three underfloor fuel tanks, allowing airlines to increase its range up to 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 km) for long-range flights.

5

The Natal (NAT) to Lisbon (LIS) route

Flight distance: 3,496 miles

The Rio Grande do Norte/São Gonçalo do Amarante–Governador Aluízio Alves International Airport (NAT) to Lisbon International Airport (LIS) is TAP’s fifth longest route with a narrowbody aircraft. The flight distance between the Portuguese capital and the Brazilian city spans 3,496 miles (5,626 kilometers).

TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321LR Taking Off

Photo: Airbus

To operate on this route, the Portuguese national airline deploys its fleet of Airbus A321LR aircraft. According to ch-aviation data, the carrier’s Airbus A321LR can accommodate 171 passengers in a three-class cabin configuration: 16 in business class, 30 in economy plus, and 125 in economy class.

TAP Air Portugal

is the sole carrier operating on this route.

Key information at a glance:

  • Seats: 4,368
  • Number of flights in September 2024: 26
  • Available Seat Miles (ASMs): 15,270,528

It is worth noting that this route is also operated using the carrier’s Airbus A330 widebodies. However, the data above is just for the airline’s narrowbodies’ longest routes.

4

The Toronto (YYZ) to Lisbon (LIS) route

Flight distance: 3,576 miles

The Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Canada to Lisbon (LIS) route is TAP’s fourth longest route, which is operated by a fleet of narrowbody aircraft. The transatlantic route between the two cities is 3,576 miles (5,755 kilometers).

TAP A321LR

Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock

Just like the NAT to LIS route, the YYZ to LIS corridor is operated by the carrier’s Airbus A321LR aircraft. Notably, this route is the airline’s busiest in September 2024, with 60 flights during the month.

Key information at a glance:

  • Seats: 10,080
  • Number of flights in September 2024: 60
  • Available Seat Miles (ASMs): 36,046,080

It is worth noting that

Lufthansa

, Porter Airlines, and Air Transat are among TAP’s competitors, also offering direct scheduled flights between the Portuguese capital and Toronto.

3

The Washington DC (IAD) to Lisbon (LIS) route

Flight distance: 3,592 miles

Right in the middle of the list is another transatlantic flight operated by TAP Air Portugal’s narrowbody fleet. This route, between Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Lisbon Airport (LIS), covers 3,592 miles (5,780 kilometers).

TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321LR

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

According to Flightradar24.com data, the journey on an Airbus A321LR takes about seven hours to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Key information at a glance:

  • Seats: 9,912
  • Number of flights in September 2024: 59
  • Available Seat Miles (ASMs): 35,603,904

In addition to TAP Air Portugal, Chicago-based United Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa operate direct scheduled flights between IAD and LIS.

2

The Recife (REC) to Lisbon (LIS) route

Flight distance: 3,628 miles

The Aeroporto Internacional do Recife/Guararapes–Gilberto Freyre (REC) in Brazil and Lisbon (LIS) route ranks as the second longest in TAP’s long-haul network operated by the carrier’s Airbus A321LRs. This route is 3,628 miles (5,838 kilometers) and takes approximately seven hours and 20 minutes, as per Flightradar24.com.

TAP A330 in flight

Photo: TAP

Key information at a glance:

  • Seats: 5,712
  • Number of flights in September 2024: 34
  • Available Seat Miles (ASMs): 20,723,136

Additionally, TAP is the only airline operating the direct flight between Recife (REC) in Brazil and Lisbon (LIS).

1

The Belém (BEL) to Lisbon (LIS) route

Flight distance: 3,726 miles

The route between Val-de-Cans/Júlio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport (BEL) in Brazil and Lisbon (LIS) is the longest served by the airline’s narrowbody fleet. This is another long-haul route from Portugal to Brazil.

TAP A321LR shutterstock_2054076617

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

This route, which spans 3,726 miles (5,996 kilometers), is exclusively operated by TAP and has no competitors. Despite being the longest narrowbody route in TAP’s network, it appears to be the least popular, with only 20 flights and 3,360 seats offered this month, according to Cirium data.

Key information at a glance:

  • Seats: 3,360
  • Number of flights in September 2024: 20
  • Available Seat Miles (ASMs): 12,519,360

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