Netflix Starts Filming 'Operation TAP,' Its First Feature Film Produced in Portugal

Netflix has begun production on Operation TAP, its first film produced in Portugal, the platform announced on November 3, 2026. Directed by João Nuno Pinto and produced by the Portuguese company SPi, the film dramatizes one of the strangest episodes in the country's aviation history: the 1980 hijacking of a TAP flight by a 16-year-old boy. No release date has been announced.

Netflix Launches First Portuguese Film 'Operation TAP'

The announcement marks a first for the streaming service in Portugal. Netflix's own release describes the project as "an adventure with an '80s vibe and a modern pace that combines tension and emotion to tell how a night of fear ultimately turned into something no one expected." The film is loosely based on the true story of the hijacking of a TAP flight in 1980, carried out, in the company's words, "by a 16-year-old boy with a head full of dreams."

According to the official synopsis, the story is set in 1980: an armed teenager hijacks a plane to Madrid and demands $10 million, turning the passengers and crew into hostages for a night of tension and uncertainty. SPi, the international production brand of the SP Televisão group, confirmed that filming is already underway and framed the project as another milestone in its collaboration with the platform, following Glória, Netflix's first Portuguese original series.

Operation TAP: Production at a Glance

The table below gathers the confirmed facts of the production from the announcements by Netflix and SPi, letting readers see at a glance who is making the film, who stars in it, and what true story lies behind the screenplay.

The Story Behind 'Operation TAP': A 1980 Hijacking

Behind the screenplay lies a real event that became front-page news in Portugal and Spain. As reported by the Portugal Resident, the teenager was Rui Rodrigues, a 16-year-old from Feijó who became known in the Portuguese press as the "Piratinha do Ar" — the little air pirate. On May 6, 1980, Rodrigues boarded TAP flight 131, a Boeing 727 traveling from Lisbon to Faro.

The same reporting notes that the case prompted then-prime minister Francisco Sá Carneiro and senior ministers to become directly involved as authorities tried to resolve the standoff. The film's synopsis compresses the incident into a single night of tension, with the young hijacker demanding $10 million while holding passengers and crew hostage. The available accounts do not provide a detailed, minute-by-minute record of the hijacking, so the film's relationship to the precise sequence of events remains a matter of its "loosely based" framing.

What drew the filmmakers to the material, judging by the descriptions offered so far, is not the threat itself but what followed. Both Netflix and SPi describe a story in which the threat of violence gradually gives way to an unexpected account of empathy and humanity between the hijacker and his hostages.

Key Players in the Production

João Nuno Pinto directs, bringing prior features Mosquito and 18 Holes to Paradise to the project. The screenplay is credited to three writers: Pedro Lopes, Miguel Rico, and Marina Preguiça Ribeiro. Lopes also serves as Chief Creative and Strategy Officer at SPi, making him a presence on both the creative and production sides of the film.

The leading roles go to Rui Pedro Silva, whose earlier work includes Remains of the Wind and Maria Vitória; Afonso Pimentel, known for Memories of Prison and Turn of the Tide; and Victoria Guerra, whose credits include Gloria and Impossible Lovel. The pairing of a director with a feature-film background and a cast drawn heavily from Portuguese television and cinema underscores the production's local roots.

Strategic Partnership: Netflix and SPi's Growing Collaboration

The significance of Operation TAP extends beyond a single title. SPi produced Glória, Netflix's first Portuguese original series, and the company now returns for the platform's first Portuguese film — a pattern that positions SPi as Netflix's leading production partner in the country, a status the company itself claims in its announcement.

Pedro Lopes articulated the ambition behind that trajectory in SPi's statement: "It is with great satisfaction that we continue our collaboration with Netflix on a project that reflects our ambition to establish Portuguese-language fiction as a distinctive voice on the international scene." He added that SPi seeks to combine "originality and artistic ambition with high-quality productions that reflect our identity as storytellers," and that "Operation TAP reflects this vision."

For the Portuguese industry, the practical consequence is straightforward: a global platform is financing feature-scale production at home, with a local company retaining creative leadership. For Netflix, the partnership offers Portuguese-language stories with, in SPi's phrase, "international reach" — a Cold War-era hijacking drama being precisely the kind of local history that can travel to a global audience.

What's Next for Netflix in Portugal

Netflix's continued investment in local productions like Operation TAP signals a strategic focus on developing Portuguese-language content for a global audience through established partnerships. The film's release date has not been announced, so the immediate milestone to watch is the completion of filming and any first-look material Netflix releases. The clearest measurable indicator of whether this strategy is deepening will be future announcements of new Portuguese original films or series from Netflix, particularly those involving SPi.

Sources

• 'Operation TAP': Netflix’s First Film in Portugal Is Already in Production - About Netflix
• SPi produces Netflix’s first film in Portugal — SP I
• Breaking News - "Operation TAP": Netflix's First Film in Portugal Is Already in Production — Thefutoncritic
• Netflix turns teenage TAP hijacking into its first film in Portugal – Portugal Resident
• Filming Begins on 'Operation TAP' Netflix's First Portuguese Film — What's on Netflix