TAP considering return to Zagreb and Belgrade

TAP Portugal is considering resuming services from Lisbon to both Zagreb and Belgrade next year. The Portuguese national carrier is finalising plans for the launch of eleven new routes in 2017 as part of its growth initiative. Seven of the eleven future destinations will be in Europe, many of which were previously served by the airline. A final decision is expected in the coming weeks, with Zagreb highly likely to be included in the carrier's network again. Within Europe, TAP previously served several points in Germany, as well as Athens, Basel, Bucharest, Tallinn and St Petersburg, in addition to the Croatian and Serbian capital cities. TAP particularly struggled with its services to the former Yugoslavia during the slow winter months.

The Portuguese carrier discontinued operations to Zagreb this March after serving the city for over a decade. In response, fellow Star Alliance member, Croatia Airlines, introduced seasonal flights between the two cities this summer, which were codeshared by TAP. In addition, the Portuguese carrier codeshared on Croatia Airlines' services between Zurich and Zagreb as well. In a bid to strengthen its operations, TAP previously served Zagreb via Bologna during the winter months. Since the suspension, it has been speculated that the airline would return to Croatia in the near future. In 2010, TAP also operated seasonal summer flights between Lisbon and Dubrovnik, however, the service was not renewed during subsequent seasons.

TAP discontinued its operations to Belgrade in January 2015 following just five months of operations. During the winter season, triangle flights via Budapest were introduced, with the service maintained three times per week. Despite solid loads over the summer months, TAP was plagued by operational issues, forcing the cancellation of many of its Belgrade flights. They were caused by a delay in the arrival of new aircraft, pilot training and “negative influences beyond the airline's control”. As a result, passengers were rerouted onto other Star Alliance member airlines. At the time, TAP said it would consider resuming its Belgrade operations in the summer of 2015, however, those plans never materialised.