Speaking to ECO, the president of SPAC, Tiago Faria Lopes, foresees a “chaotic summer, similar to that of 2015”, when the carrier cancelled 500 flights in four months.

The SPAC leader also believes that, in April, TAP will have 137 flights without full teams of pilots. These are flights where the captain, the co-pilot or both are missing.

Questioned by the ECO, TAP says that “given the challenges foreseen for this summer in terms of airport congestion and the contracting of land and air resources”, it decided to “adjust its capacity and resort to contracting ACMI”. That is, aircraft rental, including pilots, crew, maintenance and insurance.