Emirates and TAP Air Portugal have been good partners for the past eight years. Both airlines are now willing to go further with this positive relationship and hopefully let it become even more fruitful in the years to come. Let’s have a closer look at what Emirates and TAP have in store regarding the new partnership.
Memorandum of Understanding
Emirates and TAP Air Portugal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 15 March to expand the already-existing codeshare partnership. The main benefits for passengers will be enhanced connectivity on several routes across the Americas, North Africa and East Asia. Moreover, the two airlines have also expressed their intention to redesign their respective frequent flyer programmes, which means customers will have the chance to earn and redeem miles and gain other benefits such as lounge access, whenever they fly with one of the two airlines.
The focus is on stop-over programmes
Emirates and TAP Air Portugal are renowned for their strategic hubs in Dubai and Lisbon. Dubai serves as a stop-over for passengers flying out to the Middle East/Asia and Lisbon is a hub for stop-overs to the Americas, especially South America. Both carriers see great potential in the stop-overs and are willing to leverage these assets to increase their competitiveness. More precisely, Emirates is looking forward to supporting TAP in its plan to expand in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where a strong partner like Emirates will pave the way for the Portuguese airline.
This reinforced partnership will have to wait for regulatory approvals. According to the Emirates press release dated 15 March, the agreement should come into effect on 1 May 2021. From that moment on, customers will experience a smooth process when booking and flying with the two carriers, as well as having the chance to enjoy multiple travel benefits across 70 destinations on both airlines’ networks.
Excitement in the words of both airlines’ representatives
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, and Arik De, TAP Chief Revenue and Network Officer, are looking forward to this renewed and stronger collaboration. Both airlines’ representatives are sure that this partnership will allow their guests greater geographic access. As Arik De stated: ” We look forward to taking Emirates customers to more cities within Portugal, to our destinations in the Americas and North Africa, and for them to benefit from our Stopover Portugal programme.”
Thanks to this partnership, TAP Air Portugal will place its code on Emirates flights to the far East destinations such as Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, Mumbai, Delhi, Dhaka, Male, Jakarta, Denpasar, Manila, Hanoi, but also to other destinations, including Barcelona and Mexico City. Emirates’ customers, on the other hand, will enjoy enhanced connectivity in Portugal and will easily be able to board TAP Air Portugal flights to cities in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Morocco, Tunisia, Gambia and Cape Verde.
What do you think of this strategic partnership? Will it increase the revenue for both Emirates and TAP Air Portugal? Let us know in the comments below!
