From the start of the European summer season, TAP will discontinue its direct Johannesburg-Lisbon flight.
A statement issued by the airline said through the signing of an MoU with Mozambique’s LAM, starting from June, it (TAP) would combine all direct flights operated by both airlines from Portugal to Mozambique and South Africa.
Currently, TAP operates three flights a week between Lisbon and Johannesburg with a stopover in Maputo, plus a fourth direct flight to the Mozambican capital.
According to TAP, LAM’s decision to reinstate its Lisbon flights led to the redrafting of the commercial framework agreement between the two companies with a view to aligning their offering and assessing potential improvements in services.
From the Northern hemisphere summer season, four direct flights between Lisbon and Maputo will operate as codeshare flights, two on TAP and two on LAM-operated aircraft.
LAM will provide connections between Maputo and Johannesburg to coincide with the Lisbon arrivals and departures. These flights will also carry the TAP code, enabling passenger and baggage check-in to the final destination, in turn simplifying pricing tariffs. In the near future the same operating model is being planned for Cape Town.
TAP will increase the weekly flight frequency to Maputo and is now also considering expanding its operation to new destinations in South Africa.
In this context, talks are ongoing with South African Airways, a Star Alliance partner, with a view to expanding the range of the respective co-operation and diversification of the route options between Portugal and South Africa.
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