GBM.flights

as per airlineroute Berlin and Turin announced

BER as of 5JUN 5x weekly
TRN as of 3JUN 4x weekly

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AirCub1

Rumours I've heard include TLV, DUB and BEG could be next....

TAP-A343

Last time TAP tried DUB was in 2006 and the operation lasted around 9 months. Now EI controls DUB-LIS.

GBM.flights

as per airlineroute Bucharest announced

OTP as of 30JUN 3x weekly:
TP722 LIS2310 – 0510+1OTP 319 246
TP723 OTP0600 – 0825LIS 319 357

Quite surprising.
They will compete with LCC blueair on this route.

Also if I got it right this becomes the 4th longest route within Europe for TP, after DME,HEL and ARN.

GBM

IAN-UK

I'll say! Have Romanians started a love affair with Portugal/Brasil? Or perhaps the long neglected BUH Bissau connection is getting the attention it deserves.

GBM.flights

BUH-OXB must get a ton of traffic.
Here is the rational from the official press release. That was quick, sometimes days go by without a word.

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TAP-A343

Maybe it would be better for TP to start flying to KBP instead of OTP and have a comprehensive codeshare agreement with PS where PS would put its code on TP's flights too.

GBM.flights

Well, that is already happening with PS flying KBP-LIS and TP codesharing. Then PS codeshares on TP to OPO//FAO.
And PS is a partner of Victoria

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TAP-A343

I'm aware of that. But maybe TP should use its own metal.

GBM.flights

The PS flight (and TP codeshare) has been in place for a number of years so if there was bigger potential the frequency would have been increased, I guess.

I think TP on own metal should concentrate on new European destinations that can feed the Brazil/Africa operations and bringing high yield/premium pax.

KBP and OTP don't really fit in the above IMO.

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tff

There's also some relevant Portuguese investment in Romania.

IAN-UK

This is from an airline that once mooted (I kid you not!) a Lisbon Reykjavik route.

TAP-A343

I agree with you.

If KBP can't work for TP with its own metal then I can't see how OTP will.

IAN-UK

My understanding is that TP has a comprehensive codeshare in place with PS.

I assume that Ukraine is not burdened by costs and restrictive labour agreements on the same scale as TAP's, so a non-operating codeshare on this essentially low-yield route is clearly the way to go. Increasing capacity on KBP with high-cost TP-operated seats would dilute any benefits the two airlines derive from their cooperation.

Bucharest is a puzzle. I'm a generous sort, so I'll assume the planners in Lisbon know a lot more about the demand side than I do. Certainly the overnight A319 schedule improves the wider utilisation of the fleet, and the arrival time into LIS gives good connections, but still....

The press release concerning BUH and Romania seemed a tad defensive. It failed only to promote the impact of the two nations' common language roots, and Sesimbra's twinning with the Romanian town of Siret

GBM.flights

This is what I could find on Airline route (2007)

OTP poses significant challenges IMO:
- Low yield (as you've described for KBP) and not much connecting traffic. Even if there is some Portuguese investment as tff very correctly points out, it's concentrated around BCP which is in deep pain , Lena and EDP which will hire locally and not generate significant revenue to TP.
- blueair competing.
They've been plying the route since Feb07, not increased frequency IIRC (steady at x3weekly and summer only)
On top of that they used to fly night-time to OTP (as TP will do) and have meanwhile switched to day time. 10:30am departure from LIS.
Did I mention they fly return from ~160EUR? Even in August you'll find most dates will be ~200EUR return.
- ATH, which has similar profile (3weekly, nightime) just got canned for Winter season.

But as you say, IAN-UK I'll assumed the planners know a lot more about this than I do and it makes sense for TP. I'll let time tell.

Priceless.
The stuff you learn on FT. I'va actually been to Siret (quite a few moons ago) and had no clue about this.

GBM