TAP deploys A321LRs for transatlantic expansion

TAP is to open new transatlantic services with its long-range Airbus A321LR fleet, operating to Montreal, Boston via the Azores, and a new Brazilian destination. It will take its North American network to 11 destinations with the 6-times-weekly Montreal link. The airline will also complement its current nonstop operation to Boston next year with a service via the Azores archipelago, stopping in Ponta Delgada. Boston is a hub for TAP partner JetBlue Airways. TAP describes the expansion as part of a strategic "conquest" of the North Atlantic. But it will also expand its network in Brazil to 11 destinations with the addition of flights to the coastal city of Maceio, south of Recife. TAP says the new Brazilian connection, to be served 3 times weekly, is its first in 5 years. CE Antonoaldo Neves says the A321LR is a "true game-changer". <br/>