Portugal's national carrier TAP has named an aircraft from its regional fleet after the resort town of Cascais as part of a campaign to promote Portugal. The chosen aircraft is an Embraer E190 operated by TAP subsidiary Portugália Airlines.

Introducing 'Cascais'

The 14-year-old Embraer E190 (registration: CS-TPY) has been named after one of Portugal's most popular tourism destinations - Cascais. The coastal resort town is situated around 30 km west of the capital Lisbon and is renowned for its wide array of historical attractions, beaches and traditional Portuguese character.

Photo: TAP Air Portugal

TAP Air Portugal said,

"TAP, the airline of Portugal and the Portuguese people, has named an aircraft from its regional fleet as "Cascais". The charming town of Cascais is located around 30 kilometers from the city of Lisbon and is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe."

The aircraft only recently joined the TAP Air Portugal family in December following over a decade of service at Azul Linhas Aéreas - it is operated by regional subsidiary Portugália Airlines under the TAP Express brand, which serves over 20 European and North African destinations. To commemorate the naming, TAP CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener and Cascais town mayor Carlos Carreiras completed a symbolic ceremony in Cascais Town Hall, which included the presentation of a model of the aircraft.

Five more region names this year

The airline claims that five more of its Embraer E190 and E195 aircraft will be named after regions in Portugal in 2023 as part of a wider initiative of "promotion and dissemination of the regions and their culture, gastronomy and heritage, and strengthening the relationship with the people of each region."

Photo: TAP Air Portugal

The move is a continuation of TAP's 'Embrace Portugal' campaign launched in 2017, which involved its regional aircraft being named after the 18 districts and two autonomous regions of Portugal. With the expansion of Portugália's fleet, the carrier will begin naming its planes after new places in Portugal, starting with one of its star tourism attractions - Cascais.

About Portugália Airlines

Portugália Airlines was established in 1988 and grew into one of Europe's most reliable regional airlines before it was acquired by TAP Air Portugal in 2006. The airline began to fly under the TAP Express brand in 2016 before it was integrated into TAP Air Portugal entirely last year, now operating the majority of TAP Express flights.

Phto: Liam McManus via flickr

According to Planespotters.net, Portugália Airlines currently operates with a fleet of 17 aircraft - 11 Embraer E190s and six Embraer E195s - with capacity for 106 and 118 passengers, respectively. The subsidiary has bolstered its capacity in the last nine months with four new turboprops - two E190s and two E195s - following the phasing out of TAP Express' ATR fleet, operated by White Airways.

Have you ever flown on one of TAP Express' Embraer ERJ jets? How does the experience compare to other regional airlines? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Planespotters.net