TAP Air Portugal is adding yet another pin to its Brazilian map, announcing on 14 November that it will open a Lisbon–Curitiba–Rio de Janeiro circle-route from 2 July 2026. The Star Alliance member will fly the sector three times per week with 269-seat Airbus A330-200s, complementing its existing 12 Brazilian destinations and consolidating its position as the largest Europe–Brazil operator with nearly 1.2 million annual seats.
Curitiba, capital of Paraná state and home to Volvo, Electrolux and a booming agri-tech scene, has long lobbied for a trans-Atlantic link to support export-oriented industry and the state’s fast-growing MICE market. Local authorities estimate the route could inject R$ 300 million (US $60 million) into the regional economy in its first year by stimulating inbound investment missions and easing employee rotations between European headquarters and Paraná plants.
![TAP Air Portugal to connect Lisbon and Curitiba from July 2026]()
For mobility managers, the schedule (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday departures) allows comfortable 23 hour door-to-door trips between most Western European hubs and Curitiba with a single connection in Lisbon. TAP’s stopover programme, which offers up to five nights in Portugal without an additional airfare, may also appeal to assignees moving families who want to scout schools and housing before continuing to Brazil.
The new service arrives amid a Europe–Brazil capacity surge: OAG data show November 2025 seats up almost 8 % year-on-year, with TAP controlling nearly a quarter of the market. Analysts attribute the growth to Brazil’s liberal bilateral policy and the Lula administration’s decision to maintain visa-waiver status for Schengen nationals, a stance unlikely to change before the COP30 climate summit wraps up.
Companies should revisit their Brazil travel budgets: early promotional fares are running at € 850 return in economy and € 2 750 in business, around 15 % below TAP’s São Paulo benchmark. TAP has hinted at corporate-deal sweeteners, including through-checked excess baggage for employees relocating household effects and joint offers with local removal firms in Curitiba’s industrial zone.
Curitiba, capital of Paraná state and home to Volvo, Electrolux and a booming agri-tech scene, has long lobbied for a trans-Atlantic link to support export-oriented industry and the state’s fast-growing MICE market. Local authorities estimate the route could inject R$ 300 million (US $60 million) into the regional economy in its first year by stimulating inbound investment missions and easing employee rotations between European headquarters and Paraná plants.
For mobility managers, the schedule (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday departures) allows comfortable 23 hour door-to-door trips between most Western European hubs and Curitiba with a single connection in Lisbon. TAP’s stopover programme, which offers up to five nights in Portugal without an additional airfare, may also appeal to assignees moving families who want to scout schools and housing before continuing to Brazil.
The new service arrives amid a Europe–Brazil capacity surge: OAG data show November 2025 seats up almost 8 % year-on-year, with TAP controlling nearly a quarter of the market. Analysts attribute the growth to Brazil’s liberal bilateral policy and the Lula administration’s decision to maintain visa-waiver status for Schengen nationals, a stance unlikely to change before the COP30 climate summit wraps up.
Companies should revisit their Brazil travel budgets: early promotional fares are running at € 850 return in economy and € 2 750 in business, around 15 % below TAP’s São Paulo benchmark. TAP has hinted at corporate-deal sweeteners, including through-checked excess baggage for employees relocating household effects and joint offers with local removal firms in Curitiba’s industrial zone.
