Disruption to TAP due to pilot strike from Friday 1 – Sunday 10 May 2015

London Air Travel » Funchal

TAP Portugal Airbus A319
TAP Portugal Airbus A319 (Image Credit: TAP Portugal)

The trade union representing pilots of the airline TAP Portugal has called a ten day strike from Friday 1 May to Sunday 10 May 2015.

As yet, TAP has not yet published of operating flights during the period of industrial action. However, a minimum service will be set by an arbitration tribunal. We’ve no idea whether London is deemed important enough to require a minimum service level!

TAP has invited passengers booked on flights during the strike to rebook onto another TAP flight on an alternative date. TAP has not indicated whether affected passengers will be accommodated on other partner/rival airlines.

Update: TAP has published a list of minimum services that will be operated during the strike This includes a daily return service between London Heathrow and Lisbon:

Flight TP356 Depart Lisbon 15:00 – Arrive London Heathrow 17:40
Flight TP369 Depart London eathrow 18:45 – Arrive Lisbon 21:25

Other scheduled flights may still operate. However, the situation is likely to quite fluid. TAP has also published a list of flights over the next three days that are guaranteed not to operate.

TAP flies from London Heathrow to Lisbon, Funchal and Porto and from London Gatwick to Lisbon and Porto.

For those wishing to make their own alternative plans, alternative options include British Airways from London Heathrow to Lisbon and Porto and London Gatwick to Funchal, easyJet from London Gatwick to Lisbon, Funchal and Porto.

BA launches London Gatwick – Seville, Funchal & Las Palmas

London Air Travel » Funchal

London Gatwick Airfield (Image Credit: London Gatwick Airport)
London Gatwick Airfield (Image Credit: London Gatwick Airport)

In a further sign of renewed confidence in its London Gatwick operation, British Airways has added three new routes to its 2015 Gatwick schedule.

These are Seville in Spain (five times weekly) Funchal in Madeira (three times weekly) and Las Palmas in Gran Canaria (twice weekly) which will operate from 29 March 2015.

This is in addition to earlier announcements of Fuerteventura, Friedrichshafen and Grenoble from December 2014.

Other routes launching for summer 2015 will include Cagliari in Sardinia, Heraklion in Crete, Rhodes in Greece and Bodrum and Dalaman in Turkey.

Flights are open for booking now in ba.com