03/04/22
TAP has announced it will join the centenary celebrations of Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral's crossing of the South Atlantic by naming one of its planes 'Santa Cruz' throughout 2022. The A330-900 was thus named after the last Fairey III which the duo flew to Rio de Janeiro 100 years ago. Moreover, the plane is bedecked with the Cross of Christ used in Captain Artur Sacadura Freire Cabral and Admiral Carlos Viegas Gago Coutinho's legendary trip, which took off on March 30, 1922.
The Company is therefore joining the celebrations of the feat of these two airmen, who arrived in Brazil on June 17, 1922, thanks to an air navigation method devised by themselves, and which would influence all modern aviation. The trip was a milestone because it confirmed that it was possible to cross the ocean on an airplane, in a rigorous and accurate manner, using only some portable astronomical navigation instruments. The centenary is being celebrated by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force as part of an event - organized by the South Atlantic Air Crossing Centenary Commission - which TAP has now proudly joined.
The new Santa Cruz airplane will also be used in TAP's commemorative trip, to be held in July, with the same destination as the original flight: Rio de Janeiro.
