Portuguese regional airline Portugalia, operating under the name TAP Express, has been granted the right by the Portuguese aviation authorities to increase its fleet to 19 aircraft – the company’s current permit provides for the operation of 15 aircraft. This is reported by the Portuguese website Observador.the decision was published in Diário da República on Friday (2).
During consultation with Portuguese news, the airline has not yet given an answer on when the fleet increase will occur and what aircraft will be added. Today, Portugal has 15 Embraer aircraft in operation, of which 5 are E195-E1s and 10 are E-190-E1s.
Once approved, Portugal is now licensed to operate “10 aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of not more than 62,000 kg and a capacity of up to 146 passengers” e “nine aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of not more than 55,000 kg and a capacity of up to 122 passengers”.
The Embraer E190-E1 has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 51,800 kg and the E195-E1 has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 52,290 kg. As mentioned above, both of them comply with the regulations set by the Portuguese authorities.