A TAP spokesperson at Lisbon airport told the media that at least 21 flights had been cancelled from that airport by 8am Friday morning, with many of them being cancelled from Oporto.

The daily 6am flight from Faro to Lisbon did depart. TAP flights make up just three percent of Faro's operations with three daily flights all to and from Lisbon.

Constitutionally-required minimum services mean the airline must ensure some flights to Portugal’s islands, former colonies such as Angola and Mozambique as well as to Brazil and key destinations within Europe with large immigrant populations such as Switzerland and the UK, are upheld.


Striking pilots accused the Government and the airline of defaulting on agreements made in 1999 and one last December, which had the immediate effect of averting strike action over the festive season.

In a statement on its website the airline said the strike, summoned in protest to the company’s privatisation, “will cause difficulties in our regular operation and, for that, we apologize in advance.”

Passengers can rebook their reservations to other dates, without any cost, or cancel and request a travel voucher, to be used within one year on TAP flights, “in order to mitigate as much as possible the effects of the strike.”


TAP said “Our services have been working intensively to arrange the best possible solutions, in order to minimize the impact of a 10 day strike” and “we are doing everything in our reach to solve the situations that come to our attention.”

Customer services staff at Lisbon airport have been reinforced to deal with the disruption that is foreseen.


Relevant information related to TAP's operation will be updated regularly on the airline's usual communication channels, such as its facebook page and website.

The flights whose operation is ensured by minimum can be checked on the airline’s website (www.flytap.com).
TAP requests its passengers to verify if their flights are included in the attached list and to check their bookings

on www.checkmytrip.com. The airline also suggests proceeding with the online check-in its website if the flights are confirmed.

This option is available 72 hours prior to departure, despite some exceptions, depending on the destination.


"An average of 296 daily flights are scheduled to operate within the next few days. However, that will depend on the number of pilots that join the strike. A list of flights, for the first 3 days, which, almost certainly, will not operate and that may be verified on the airline’s website", the embattled airline said.

Meanwhile, Irish airline Ryanair reached out to travellers offering "rescue fares" from Lisbon to Oporto "for TAP customers affected by the pilots’ strike which commenced this morning." (Friday, 1 May).


"The rescue fares on the Lisbon – Oporto route, which operates three times daily, start from just €9.99, and will facilitate customers left stranded during the pilots’ strike", the low-cost company said.