TAP flight to Curitiba declares emergency after cabin depressurization, circles Atlantic before safe return to Lisbon
The Airbus A330-200 declared an emergency about 30 minutes after takeoff from Lisbon on Saturday, circled over the Atlantic for roughly an hour to burn fuel, and landed safely at 14:06 local time.
Emergency over the Atlantic
TAP Air Portugal flight TP067 departed Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport on the morning of Saturday, 1 August 2026, bound for the Brazilian city of Curitiba. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 wide-body jet, had been airborne for about 30 minutes when the crew declared an emergency. Portuguese broadcaster SIC Notícias reported that the cause was a cabin depressurization. TAP itself did not confirm the nature of the problem, referring only to a "technical issue" in its communications with Portuguese media.
Circling to burn fuel
Rather than landing immediately, the pilots spent roughly one hour flying holding patterns over the Atlantic Ocean. This procedure is standard after a takeoff with full fuel tanks: burning off fuel reduces the aircraft's weight to within safe landing limits. Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 showed the aircraft looping off the Portuguese coast. Some initial reports described the circling as lasting only "a few minutes," but later accounts, including from CNN Portugal, indicated it continued for about an hour before the plane touched down at Lisbon airport at 14:06 local time (13:06 UTC).
Safe landing and airline response
The landing itself was uneventful. TAP issued a brief statement to several news outlets, including Observador and Correio da Manhã, confirming the return and stressing that safety was never at risk.
TAP confirms that flight TP067 to Curitiba returned to Lisbon due to a technical issue. The landing took place with total safety and normality and passengers will resume their journey as soon as possible.
The statement did not provide further details on the technical fault or the number of people on board. Notícias ao Minuto reported that it had contacted TAP for additional comment but was awaiting a response.
Passengers and next steps
No injuries were reported among passengers or crew. TAP said that affected travelers would be rebooked on the next available flight to Curitiba, though it did not specify when that would depart. The incident caused a delay of unknown duration for those heading to Brazil. The aircraft involved, an Airbus A330-200, is a twin-engine wide-body commonly used by TAP on long-haul routes to the Americas and Africa.
- Flight TP067 departs Humberto Delgado Airport on Saturday morning.
- Crew reports cabin depressurization about 30 minutes into the flight.
- Aircraft circles for roughly one hour to reduce weight for landing.
- Plane touches down at Lisbon airport at 14:06 local time.
