Chicken, Pasta, or Octopus? How Traditional Should a National Airline Be?

Serving a country of just over 10 million people, TAP Air Portugal has had to look beyond its shores to build scale. It's a strategy that's worked. Today, just 20% of TAP passengers are Portuguese.

However, when only one in five passengers is from Portugal, how Portuguese can you - should you - be?

It’s a question on the mind of Catarina Índio, TAP’s Head of Onboard and Ground Product. She joined the flag carrier last year and is on a mission to improve passenger experience at all levels.

Speaking to Skift on the fringes of Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, Índio uses one word time and again: Portugality.

Walk the corridors of TAP headquarters and it’s a term you’ll hear frequently. Put simply, the goal is to reflect Portuguese culture, cuisine, and products as part of the journey. 

What can initially feel like a fluffy marketing concept is rooted in sharp business acumen. Being distinctive is a competitive advantage. 

“We don’t make it a particular differentiator on certain routes where we have strong competition. Our commitment is to have Portugality onboard, no matter if you’re going to Brazil or flying short-haul in Europe,” says Índio.

How exactly does an airline turn this concept into practice? One of TAP’s flagship ‘Portugality’ projects is the Local Stars initiative. Launched in March 2023 and running unt