Everyone has accepted that the remainder of the year is more or less a bust in terms of travel. COVID-19 is still spreading across the world and global travel continues to be limited.

The world is coming closer to a viable vaccine and efficacious treatments for COVID-19. This two-pronged approach is essential to help contain the spread of the virus. It is unlikely that the virus will be entirely eliminated in the near future but a robust public health program of vaccination and treatments for those who do get ill is the best strategy to help things go back to normal.

Right now consensus is that things will start to go back to normal around the middle of next year. This is where airlines are trying to plan out their schedules. It will be a mix of returning back to pre-COVID flying and expanding to new routes.

It is refreshing to see that glimmer of hope for new routes. Airlines are staying optimistic and hopefully, it ends up materializing.

2021 Plans

One of these airlines that’s been taking an optimistic approach is TAP Air Portugal, which has just announced an ambitious plan to expand deeper into Europe and Africa from its home base in Lisbon.

The carrier plans to launch the flights to the following destinations next summer:

• Ibiza, Spain (2x weekly; departing Lisbon on Saturdays and Sundays)
• Fuerteventura, Spain (1x weekly; departing Lisbon on Saturdays)
• Oujda, Morocco (2x weekly; departing Lisbon on Saturdays and Sundays)
• Zagreb, Croatia (3x weekly; departing Lisbon on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays)
• Djerba, Tunisia (1x weekly; departing on Sundays)
• Monastir, Tunisia (1x weekly; departing on Fridays)

The flights to Spain and Croatia already are available for sale and the flights for the other destinations will be available in the coming week.

In addition to these flights TAP Air Portugal also has flights planned to the following destinations in 2021, however, these routes were initially announced this year in 2020 but were postponed due to COVID-19.

• Cancun, Mexico
•  Cape Town, South Africa
• Agadir, Morocco
• Santiago de Compostela, Spain

All that can be done at this point is to remain optimistic that things will return to normal sometime next year. TAP Air Portugal isn’t the only airline that is optimistic about 2021, United Airlines recently announced a slew of new destinations as well for 2021. As we begin to turn the corner hopefully we’ll see more of this optimistic thinking after enduring months of route cancellations and aircraft retirements.