TAP Air Portugal has marked the 80th anniversary of its first commercial route, Lisbon-Madrid, which began on 19 September 1946 with a Douglas DC-3 Dakota carrying 11 passengers. The airline commemorated the milestone over 19-21 September with symbolic activities at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport and Madrid-Barajas Airport, alongside a ceremony in Madrid, while continuing to operate the route as a high-frequency link with 49 weekly flights, or seven daily frequencies each way.
The anniversary underlines the long-standing role of the Lisbon-Madrid service in TAP’s network and in Iberian business travel. The route has evolved from a small post-war operation into a key bridge for passengers connecting through Lisbon to TAP destinations in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Selected passengers on commemorative flights received anniversary gifts during the celebrations, reflecting the airline’s emphasis on the route as both a historic milestone and a current commercial corridor.