TAP names plane after an iconic singer. The Portuguese flagship carrier named its new Airbus A321LR Zeca Afonso, as a tribute to the iconic Portuguese singer-songwriter. The company announced it in a press release published on the 25th of April, the day the country celebrated the 48th Anniversary of the Carnation Revolution.
The new Airbus is a long-haul aircraft that will be a boost to comfort and autonomy, and it will allow TAP to extend its offer to several cities in Northwest Brazil and North America.
Zeca Afonso
Zeca Afonso was born in Aveiro, North of Portugal, on the 2nd of August, 1929. He became an icon for Portuguese music due to its protest lyrics. In times when free speech was non-existent in the country, his brilliantly written poems, which would look harmless to the eyes of the censors, usually concealed a highly political message.
On the 25th of April 1974, the day the Portuguese army did a military coup to bring down a fascist regime that had been in the country. This revolution was called the Carnation Revolution because no blood was spilt and symbolically red carnations were put in the soldiers’ guns. One of Zeca Afonso’s songs was played by the National Radio, as a signal to the troops to advance on their military coup. That song is called “Grândola Vila Morena”. The song talks about a village in the Alentejo region called Grândola, and it became a symbol not only of the revolution itself but of the labour movement in Portugal.
48 years after the revolution and 35 years after his passing, Zeca Afonso is again the centre of attention, now giving his name to the newest TAP acquisition. A very nice tribute to Zeca Afonso and to a revolution that meant so much for Portugal.
