TAP Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal. Its headquarters are in Lisbon, the same place as the main airport of the company: Lisbon Airport. Furthermore, the firm has three other 'homes': Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, Faro Airport and Funchal Airport. TAP operates to 61 places in Europe, Africa, North-America and South-America. For flights to Brazil, the company is the leading airline. In 2005, it joined Star Alliance, an international airlineorganization.

TAP Portugal was founded on March 14, 1945, as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses. In that time, the company was government-property, but it was taken over by a private owner in 1953. The first flight took place on the 19^th of September, 1946. In 1964, the millionth passenger was welcomed already. Boston en New York were added to the map in 1969. Six years later, the company was nationalized which made it a public business. The name TAP Air Portugal was first used in 1979.

Boeing 747, to replace the aging Boeing 707. After some time, the 747's were replaced by the Lockheed TriStar and Airbus A310. The demand for the Boeing 747 was too small to maintain its position in the fleet. The new aircraft were mostly used for the longer routes, but the Airbus A340 took over that role. The 727's, which were flown for a long time are replaced by Airbusses (A319, A320 and A321) as well. The airline stays loyal to aircraft manufacturer Airbus with a new order of 17 airplanes.

TAP's 60^th birthday on March 14, 2005, was brightened up with a new paintscheme and another logo. The crew is going to get a new outfit as well. This way, the image of a modern and international airline is further emphasised.