The possibility of flights existing between Portugal and Hong Kong is being analyzed, albeit in a preliminary manner, by official entities and the national airline carrier. Sources from the Portuguese government and TAP Air Portugal confirmed to PLATFORM that the company was recently challenged to study the viability of an air connection between Portugal and Hong Kong, in a logic of strengthening the links between Europe and Asia.
According to the same sources, this is currently an “exploratory” analysis, with no formal decision made yet, evaluating factors such as potential demand, economic context, operational costs, and the carrier’s strategic positioning.
The connection to Hong Kong is seen as potentially relevant for tourist, business, and institutional flows, especially considering Hong Kong’s role as an international financial and commercial platform.
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However, the process may face obstacles in the short term. The potential opening of this route comes at a time when TAP is set to be privatized, with the Portuguese government preparing to sell the company to an international consortium, introducing uncertainty regarding medium and long-term strategic decisions.
“Any new structural investment will have to be evaluated in light of the process of divesting the company’s capital,” a government source told PLATAFORMA, emphasizing that “potential buyers will naturally have a say in defining the future network.”
On the side of TAP, a source acknowledged that the idea was “put on the table,” but reminded that the company does not currently have an additional long-haul fleet that would allow it to immediately open a new regular intercontinental route to East Asia.
Any new structural investment will have to be evaluated in light of the process of divesting the company’s capital – Portuguese government source
An intermediate solution could involve the operation of charter flights to Hong Kong, testing the market and demand before any more structural decision, according to the same source.
“Mutual interest”
At the beginning of the month, a meeting took place between the Consul-General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, Alexandre Leitão, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Airport Authority (AAHK), Vivian Cheung Kar-fay.
“[The meeting in Hong Kong was] an opportunity to address matters of mutual interest,” the consulate said in a message posted on the social network Facebook.
In a written response to questions from the Lusa agency, the AAHK said that it has been seeking “to establish contacts with airlines and commercial partners in the global sector, including government authorities and airport operators.”
The goal is “to foster cooperative relationships in the development of routes,” added a spokesperson for the operator of Hong Kong International Airport. The AAHK also said it has been working with the Hong Kong government to “establish new air services agreements or expand existing ones.”
On April 3, 2025, the first long-haul cargo route between Macau and Madrid was launched, operated by the Ethiopian airline Ethiopian Airlines.
At the time, the national director for China at Ethiopian Airlines, Aman Wole Gurmu emphasized that Macau is “an important platform” for economic and commercial cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Three weeks after the launch of the flight between Madrid and Macau, Alexandre Leitão lamented that the connection does not have Lisbon or Porto as its destination.
[The meeting in Hong kong was an] opportunity to address matters of mutual interest – Portuguese Consulate in Macau and Hong Kong
A possible air connection between Hong Kong and Portugal is indeed being closely monitored by entities linked to civil aviation and external promotion, which see the potential connection as an opportunity to strengthen Portugal’s presence in the Asia-Pacific axis. Sources close to the process indicate that a route to Hong Kong could also function as a platform for connecting to other Asian destinations, benefiting from the city’s status as one of the mainhubsair and financial aspects of the region.
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At the institutional level, the interest shown by Macau and Hong Kong officials is seen as a significant political signal, although it is insufficient on its own to make the route viable. Any potential bet on charter flights, should it proceed, would allow for testing the actual demand in the market, particularly in the business, tourism, and diaspora segments, without committing to permanent fleet and operations.
For now, however, the connection between Portugal and Hong Kong remains a hypothesis under study, with no defined timeline, dependent on economic, strategic, and shareholder factors that should only be clarified in a later phase.
