Mário Lobato de Faria is Managing Director and Accountable Manager at Portugália Airlines. Lobato de Faria is a seasoned aviation executive and has served as Managing Director and Accountable Manager of Portugália Airlines, continuing to drive operational excellence and strategic development since 2023.
He has over three decades of experience in aircraft maintenance, engineering and operations. A graduate in Mechanical Engineering with a specialisation in thermodynamics from Instituto Superior Técnico, his career in aviation began in 1989 at TAP Air Portugal as a powerplant engineer. In 1993, he was invited to establish the engineering department at Portugália Airlines, where he was appointed as Maintenance and Engineering Director in 1995. During his tenure, he also briefly served as Human Resources Director.
In 2006, following the privatisation of OGMA and Embraer’s acquisition as its main shareholder, Lobato de Faria was appointed Vice President of Industrial Operations. In this role, he oversaw all production activities, spanning military, civil, and executive aviation MRO services, as well as metal and composite parts manufacturing. In 2008, after a corporate restructuring, he assumed full responsibility for the company’s MRO business.
In March 2014, he rejoined TAP as Maintenance and Engineering Managing Director and Chief Technical Officer. There, he led a transformation focused on infrastructure modernisation, the expansion of third-party MRO revenue, and the successful integration of LEAP engine capability.
Alongside his executive career, Lobato de Faria has contributed to academic and industry advancement. He has lectured on aircraft maintenance and engineering at Lusófona University, led the ERA Maintenance Group, and served as a customer representative in various technical forums for Fokker and Embraer.