Bloomberg
• Henrique Almeida
Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa submitted improved final offers for a strategic stake in TAP Air Portugal, intensifying competition as Portugal moves closer to choosing a partner for the airline’s reprivatization.
Europe
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Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa submitted improved final offers for a strategic stake in TAP Air Portugal, intensifying competition as Portugal moves closer to choosing a partner for the airline’s reprivatization.
Britain says it has “strong indications” Iran was involved in suspicious activity near RAF Fairford, where five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offenses after three vans appeared near the base. Iran has denied involvement in the incident, which involved a facility hosting U.S. Air Force personnel.
Sweden will contribute Gripen fighter jets to a NATO airspace-surveillance and Integrated Air and Missile Defence mission over Poland beginning in October 2026. The deployment will help protect a logistics hub handling military and civilian assistance to Ukraine while strengthening allied air defense on NATO’s eastern flank.
Wizz Air will maintain its aircraft base at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport through the 2026/27 winter season after Serbian authorities postponed revised rules governing foreign airlines. The six-month delay removes, for now, a measure that could have effectively prevented the Hungarian low-cost carrier from basing aircraft in Serbia.
High activity
FLYONE Armenia has finalized its first direct purchase from Airbus, ordering two A321neo aircraft powered by CFM LEAP engines. The privately owned carrier plans a 239-seat configuration as it modernizes its fleet and expands across Europe, the Middle East and former Soviet states.
Space Florida and the UK Space Agency are seeking proposals for collaborative space research and development projects involving companies in Florida and the United Kingdom. The initiative is intended to support cross-border innovation and strengthen commercial ties between the two regional space ecosystems.
High activity
Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea has filed for preliminary creditor protection in Barcelona as it seeks to recapitalize amid sustained high jet-fuel prices. Its restructuring plan reportedly includes a significant reduction in its Airbus narrowbody fleet, job cuts in Barcelona and a potential transfer of control to Aegean Airlines.
Lithuania’s Blackswan Space has raised approximately $2.9 million in seed funding to develop a rendezvous and proximity operations payload. Orbit Fab plans to use the technology in what it describes as Europe’s first in-space satellite refueling demonstration, targeted for 2028.
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