| The creation of the new destination Recife-Porto establishes the state capital as a pioneer in the Northeast to offer direct flights to Porto (Photo: Divulgao) |
Recife and the city of Porto, in Portugal, will be directly connected from December this year. The news was launched at a meeting held in Brasília, this Wednesday (24). Azul airline will be the company responsible for operating this new route.
The announcement was attended by Mayor João Campos, Recife’s Secretary of Tourism and Leisure, Antonio Coelho, Minister Silvio Costa Filho (Ports and Airports), the Ministry of Tourism and Embratur. The partnership with the Federal Government was relevant for consolidating this achievement for Recife.
“Today we announce the flight between Recife and the city of Porto, in Portugal, a joint action by the city hall, Ministry of Ports and Airports, Federal Chamber, Ministry of Tourism and Azul, consolidating Recife as the largest hub in the Brazilian Northeast Our city becomes the only Brazilian capital in the Northeast to have a direct national airline flight to Europe. May we consolidate aviation as an instrument to generate employment, economic development and strengthen our city”, highlighted the mayor. João Campos, during the announcement in Brasília.
The Portuguese market has been relevant for Brazilians. This reality is made concrete by the high number of direct flights between Brazil and Portugal, operated by different airlines. In March of this year alone, 91 weekly flights were carried out, connecting the European country to several Brazilian cities.
The new Recife-Porto destination establishes the state capital as a pioneer in the Northeast to offer direct flights to Porto. Currently, only São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro have this connection. The importance of this route is also evident in the growing interest of Pernambuco residents in European destinations. The Portuguese city is the 5th most popular destination for Pernambuco residents.
The action articulated by Recife City Hall, through the Secretariat of Tourism and Leisure, is important as a strategy to meet regional demand and consolidate the route as a milestone in international connectivity with Europe.
The Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, highlighted the importance of the new connection to the capital of Pernambuco. “This will greatly stimulate tourism in Pernambuco, in the Northeast. There is a great demand, because in addition to Recife, it will also be a hub for this flight, because many people can leave other destinations to go directly to Porto”, he assessed.
In addition to strengthening the importance of Recife at a global level, the new connection will contribute to further promoting economic and tourist growth in the Northeast Region, reinforcing the position of the capital of Pernambuco as a strategic regional air hub.
Currently, Recife has one daily flight to Lisbon and, from June, this number will increase to 13 weekly flights, via the airline TAP. At the moment, no airline offers direct flights between Recife and Porto airport. Most routes have one or more stops, with a history of connecting through the Portuguese capital.
Secretary Antonio Coelho also highlighted that this achievement not only proves the growth trend and potential for expansion of the destination but also confirms the resumption of Recife’s reinsertion into international air routes, which were reduced during the pandemic. The capital of Pernambuco had 14 direct flights before the pandemic, now, after the resumption, 5 weekly flights are operated, demonstrating a progressive recovery of the market.
“The Recife-Porto flight is part of a commitment by the administration of Mayor João Campos to promote the connection between Recife and cities in Brazil and around the world. This afternoon, we are carrying out yet another mission to integrate the capital with other national destinations and international ones. Our priority remains to work to offer a better service to the population while strengthening the entire production chain embraced by tourism”, highlighted the secretary.
The vice-president of Azul Linhas Aéreas, Fábio Campos, emphasized that this route will strengthen the company’s hub in Recife. “Today, Recife has more direct destinations than Guarulhos, so stop and think about the magnitude of this. Recife has become a place that the entire Northeast goes to in order to travel to other places. This shows the strength of what working together can result in Without a doubt, the addition of this flight is very important for the hub, because it is not just another route, it is important, because it is the first time that we will have a connection from Recife to the port and it is the first time. It’s the first time that Azul will make this connection and, today, it will be the only flight connecting the Northeast and Europe since the pandemic”, he stated.
In addition to the tourist and economic impacts, the new connection should help to further strengthen the cultural and historical links between the two cities. The city of Porto has a twinning agreement with Recife signed in 1981. The bonds of friendship between the two cities have been maintained by the respective municipal governments. This is an agreement for the purposes of scientific, technological, economic, political, social and cultural cooperation. Added to this, the connection between Brazil and Portugal, in addition to cultural and historical aspects, has aroused the interest of the Portuguese in points such as sun and beach experiences, nature and adventure.
