Environmental commitment

Promote efficiency and protect the Environment.

We at TAP are always working to become more efficient, offering our passengers a top-quality service and ensuring high-safety standards.

Promoting the company's sustainable growth is one of TAP's top commitments. The challenges facing an airline such as TAP go well beyond air transport activities, and include the facilities where the company operates and assures the maintenance of aircraft, engines, and many components. Aware of the environmental impact of air transport activities, TAP defined an operating strategy based on four environmental pillars:

Efficient energy use and CO₂ emissions	Waste
Reducing the use of disposable plastic	Noise

The aviation industry, and TAP in particular, is facing major challenges due to current world events. Outlining a consolidated strategy that will allow the economic recovery of the company, the tourism industry and the country in general - while observing high-quality standards - will only be possible if we commit to minimizing the environmental impact of our operations.

Efficient energy use and CO₂ emissions

The entry into operation of more efficient aircraft models, as part of the TAP fleet modernization program, has allowed for significant improvements in terms of efficient energy use and environmental protection. These new aircraft feature more efficient combustion engines, making it possible to reduce up to 20% in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

Improving efficient energy use and choosing Portuguese suppliers were the main criteria in the process of redesigning the cabin interiors of existing active aircraft. This project has made possible to increase the capacity of these airplanes by 12 seats, while reducing their weight by 800 kg.

At TAP, the operation's energy efficiency indicator is measured through fuel consumption per passenger, over a 100-kilometer route flown.
Since 2015, TAP has consistently improved this indicator, reflecting an investment in fleet modernization and increasingly optimized operations, except for 2020 and 2021, where the sector was faced with the biggest challenge of recent decades – the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, TAP's energy and environmental efficiency indicator improved by 8.9% when compared to the value achieved in 2019 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic).

Efficient energy use

Fuel consumption per passenger per 100 km flown.

Carbon dioxide emissions

CO₂ emissions per passenger per 100 km flown.

Voluntary Carbon Offsetting Program

The carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions compensation program, available on TAP’s booking engine, launched more than 10 years ago, is a voluntary mechanism that allows individuals and organizations to address their CO₂ emissions by supporting certified carbon projects that reduce or remove CO₂ emissions in an amount equivalent to the estimated carbon footprint of their trips. These flights do still emit carbon, but we are proud to provide our customers with options for supporting climate action around the world.

This program, currently available in partnership with the climate technology company CHOOOSE™, uses as a basis for the calculation of CO₂ emissions the standards recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) - RP 1726 and it take into account parameters such as all scheduled flights, aircraft fuel consumption, seat configuration and historical load factors.

By offsetting the carbon footprint of your flight, you are supporting certified projects such as renewable energy projects, reforestation and development of underprivileged communities.

Certified projects already supported:

Gyapa Efficient Stoves Project | Ghana | Health and livelihoods.
Ecomapuá Project | Brazil | Conservation of the Amazon forest.
Santa Maria Forest Project | Brazil | Conservation of the Amazon.
Forest IRANI Biomass Project | Brazil | Biomass Plant.
Furnas do Segredo Mini-Hydro Power Plant Project | Brazil | Mini-Hydro Power Plant.
Braço Norte Hydroelectric Project | Brazil | Mini-Hydro Power Plant.
Aquarius Hydroelectric Project | Brazil | Mini-Hydro Power Plant.

+ 140,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide offset since the beginning of the programme (2009-2023).

More information on flytap.chooose.today.

Waste

In 2020 TAP rolled out the RECICLA+ project to increase the amount of waste sent for recycling (paper/cardboard and plastic/metal), thus reducing the volume of unsorted waste. This project, will focus on three major types of waste: ordinary waste produced on the Campus, waste produced in the maintenance and engineering activity carried out on the Campus, and waste produced on board aircraft.

Disposable Plastic Reduction Program

TAP is focused on reducing the amount of single-use plastic on its aircraft and committed to finding reusable and more sustainable options on the market, so as to replace this material while maintaining high-safety standards throughout the company and following market trends in terms of materials.

As an example, TAP has already introduced wooden coffee stirrers to replace disposable plastic ones. On long-haul routes, plastic wrappers for headphones and comfort kits have been removed. Various materials used on our flights are already reusable, so they are collected by our service providers in Portugal.

Given the cross-cutting nature of this program, we have also made some changes at our headquarters, our TAP Campus, by replacing some disposable plastic items with more ecologically-friendly solutions. As an example, we no longer use plastic cups in bars and are now using reusable items for all desserts, salads and meals at the company's cafeteria.

Noise

The TAP fleet is increasingly quiet, complying with the noise limits established by the ICAO (Annex 16, volume 1). From an operational point of view, TAP has also adopted several measures to minimize noise levels. While landing, for instance, pilots avoid using the engine to brake the aircraft (reverse thrust), using wheel brakes instead.

Biodiversity

Since 2015, TAP has prohibited the shipment of animal trophies, laboratory animals, shark fins and any part of animals that appear on the list of "Endangered Animals", as freight. In 2017, TAP became signatory of the Buckingham Palace Declaration which aims to reduce the illegal trade of wildlife, following 2016 IATA’s AGM Resolution unanimously endorsed, denouncing the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, and pledging to partner with government authorities and conservation organizations in the fight against the trafficking of protected species.