Getting Closer: Emirates Grows Partnership With TAP Air Portugal

Emirates and TAP Air Portugal have deepened their partnership. As of November 2nd, the pair has added 23 more destinations where passengers can travel on one ticket, growing the number of codeshare destinations to 90. We check it out.

Emirates has served Lisbon since 2012. It also added Porto in 2019. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

What’s happening?

Subject to regulatory approval, TAP Air Portugal will place its TP code on Emirates’ services to Hanoi, Osaka, Tokyo Haneda, and Tokyo Narita. Not all of these routes are currently operating, but they will be in 2022. This adds to the existing codeshare arrangement, whereby TAP has its code to Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.

Meanwhile, Emirates will place its EK code to 19 additional TAP Air Portugal destinations via Lisbon. While some were announced previously, these 19 are: Belem, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Maceio, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Praia, Sal Island, Sao Vicente, Conakry, Ponta Delgada, Porto Santo, Terceira and Dakar. Emirates also partners with Azul and Gol across Brazil.

Emirates itself serves Conakry, Dakar, and Sao Paulo. It also used to serve Rio. Booking data shows that, in 2019, over 400,000 traveled between those 19 TAP destinations and Dubai, Bangkok, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Tokyo.

In a typical week, TAP has around 100 departures from Lisbon to these 19 destinations. The A330-900 is most used, followed by the A321LR and A320neo. Photo: Airbus.

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The latest agreement for Emirates and TAP

This deeper partnership builds on the memorandum of understanding that was signed in March. This saw the pair grow their relationship to 70 codeshare destinations.

Most destinations to which TAP was to place its code per the MOU do not seem to be bookable through the Portuguese airline’s website. Meanwhile, Hanoi, Osaka, and both Tokyo airports – the places added in the latest round – were included in the prior agreement. Speaking of the growing partnership, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, said:

“The further expansion of the Emirates and TAP Air Portugal partnership attests to the strong collaboration of both airlines. By leveraging our mutual networks through codeshare flights, we enable our customers to travel to more places on a single ticket with a one baggage policy and fare conditions.”

Lisbon is Emirates’ longest route to Europe. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

Emirates to Lisbon

The Middle East carrier has served the Portuguese capital since July 2012, analyzing schedules information from data experts Cirium confirms. The route began by using the B777-200ER and, the following year, was mainly by the B777-300ER and B777-200LR.

The 3,821-mile (6,149km) link from Dubai to Lisbon is now served only by the B777-300ER, with the 354-seat version normally used. This has six or eight first class seats, 42 in business, and 304 in economy. It is the carrier’s least densely configured aircraft except for the B777-200LR (302 seats). In the current week, Dubai-Lisbon is scheduled as follows (all times are local):

• EK191: Dubai-Lisbon, 07:25-12:00
• EK192: Lisbon-Dubai, 13:35-01:00+1 the next day

What are your thoughts about the closer codeshare relationship between the two carriers? Let us know by commenting.

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