TAP Goes for Airbus - AIN Online

TAP Portugal Refreshes Fleet with $8.5 Billion Airbus Order

by Charles Alcock

 - November 13, 2015, 11:44 AM

TAP Portugal is buying 14 Airbus A330-900neos, along with 14 Airbus A320neos and 24 A321neos. [Photo: Airbus]

TAP Portugal today initiated a comprehensive fleet-renewal plan by ordering around $8.5 billion worth of new Airbus airliners. The airline is to buy 14 A330-900neo widebodies, plus 15 A320neos and 24 A321neos. The contract calls for it to take A330-900neos in place of 12 A350-900s covered by an earlier agreement.

The airline and manufacturer have yet to announce a delivery schedule for the 53 new aircraft, which promise significant improvements in fuel efficiency. TAP Portugal currently operates 14 A320s, 14 A330-200s and 4 A340-300s.

“The A330neo, like the A320neo family, will give us the flexibility to enter new markets and improve the frequency of existing ones due to its combination of high reliability, low operating costs and exceptional comfort,” said TAPPortugal CEO Fernando Pinto.

The A330-800 and -900neos are latest members of Airbus’s widebody product range, with deliveries due to begin from the fourth quarter of 2017. The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce’s new Trent 7000 engines also incorporates aerodynamic improvements and a new cabin.

In June, the Atlantic Gateway consortium took control of TAP Portugal when the Portuguese government sold its 61-percent stake in the struggling flagcarrier. The group is led by JetBlue founder David Neeleman and Portuguese bus company owner Humberto Pedrosa. The new owners have a plan to increase TAP’s network with new destinations in the U.S. and Brazil.