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How Tap Portugal Changed The World

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As there are various state owned flag carrier, TAP is one of them. TAP Portugal has been the pride of many Portuguese people throughout the world. TAP is not only the national carrier, but also the vehicle of transportation that brings one to the home country. TAP Portugal like various airlines throughout the world, has suffered immensely for survival in such a competitive market throughout the years. With 61 years of existence, TAP’s history is quite extensive. TAP Portugal was not the first airline in Portugal. A few airlines had started before World War II, but with the world concentrating on the ongoing war, civil aviation took a backseat, and many airlines ceased their operations. And then came along a man with a vision, …show more content…

With such a distinguished and impressive career, in 1944 he becomes Director of the Civil Aviation Office.
On 14 March 1945, Humberto Delgado, creates Secção de Transportes Aéreos (Air Transport Section), what is known today as TAP Portugal. (Tap’s History, 2016) That same year, TAP Portugal acquires two Dakota DC-3, leftovers from the World War II. (Coutinho & Rocha, 2013) He saw the need of connecting the Portuguese colonies, Angola, Mozambique to Portugal. In 1946, after acquiring the two aircrafts TAP Portugal could then launch two routes. The first commercial Lisbon-Madrid service began on 19 September 1946, while on 31 December, the “Imperial Airline” was launched, flying between Lisbon, Luanda [Angola], and Lourenço Marques [Mozambique], a return journey of 24,540 kilometers that took a total of 15 days and included 12 stopovers. (Tap’s History, 2016) This was the beginning of TAP Portugal. Throughout the years, TAP began expanding their routes. In 1950’s, the jet engine would ultimately revolutionize the airline industry, shrinking air travel time in half by enabling planes to climb faster and fly higher. (First Jet makes test flight, 2010) With the innovation of jet engines that meant TAP could now fly longer routes, and unite farther old colonies to the homeland. That same year [1955] Admiral Gago Coutinho made a test flight to Rio de Janeiro. (Tap’s History, 2016) However, before jet engines came to TAP, it would suffer some changes. TAP

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