“Our expectation this year is to surpass this record as early as December 14th. It's earlier, meaning there's an increase in routes between Portugal and Brazil,” Carlos Antunes, TAP's director for the Americas, told journalists on the sidelines of the 37th edition of Festuris – Gramado Tourism Festival.

Last year, according to Carlos Antunes, TAP transported 2.054 million passengers on its various routes between Portugal and Brazil, and this year it expects to surpass that record about a week earlier, according to a report by Publituris.

According to the executive, TAP is an airline that is “viewed with great affection by Brazilians,” as it is the European carrier that flies to the largest number of cities in Brazil, while other European airlines flying to Brazil are essentially focused “on the Rio-São Paulo axis.”

TAP's success in Brazil can also be measured by the number of Brazilian passengers who use the national flag carrier's Stopover program, which allows long-haul passengers to make a free stop in Lisbon before continuing their journey to other destinations in Europe.

"Brazilians continue to be the main customer of the stopover program, representing 49% according to the latest statistics, followed by Americans," the official indicated to journalists during the 37th edition of Festuris.