Bloomberg
• Henrique Almeida
Portugal will open a further negotiation round with Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM after rating their binding bids for a minority stake in TAP as broadly equivalent. Both airline groups will have additional weeks to improve their financial proposals before the government selects a preferred investor.
TAP Air Portugal
Latest source-backed stories
High activity
Portugal will open a further negotiation round with Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM after rating their binding bids for a minority stake in TAP as broadly equivalent. Both airline groups will have additional weeks to improve their financial proposals before the government selects a preferred investor.
TAP Air Portugal reported growing losses in the first half of 2026 as the Portuguese carrier awaits a decision on its planned sale. Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group are competing to become TAP’s new owner, adding financial pressure to an already consequential privatization process.
High activity
TAP Air Portugal reported a €99.2 million first-half net loss, while Air China, China Eastern and China Southern posted a combined RMB8.17 billion loss. Higher fuel costs, intensified by the Middle East conflict, overwhelmed stronger traffic and revenue, adding pressure ahead of TAP’s planned minority-stake sale.
ZeroAvia has appointed former Flybe, TAP Air Portugal and CityJet chief executive Christine Ourmières-Widener as CEO with immediate effect. She succeeds founder Val Miftakhov, who departed in May, and will lead the hydrogen-electric propulsion developer through certification and commercialization while retaining her role as board chair.
Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr says a potential minority investment in TAP Air Portugal could generate synergies with ITA Airways, strengthen the group’s position in southern Europe and improve its competitive standing in transatlantic and Latin American markets.
High activity
Portugal’s state investment company Parpública is selling a 44.9% minority stake in TAP Air Portugal as part of a reprivatization process. Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM have both entered the race with formal, binding offers, positioning TAP to strengthen Lisbon’s hub and Europe–Latin America and trans-Atlantic routes.
After completing its restructuring program, TAP Air Portugal plans to introduce 24 new Airbus aircraft over the next two years, expanding its fleet beyond prior limits set by the European Commission. The update points to a near-term acceleration in aircraft intake and capacity plans.
High activity
TAP Air Portugal will resume weekly flights to Venezuela starting Monday, July 13, routing services to Arturo Michelena Airport in Valencia because Maiquetía remains closed after the June 24 earthquakes. The first flight will carry more than 8 metric tons of medical humanitarian aid from Portugal, while Amazon Air support and USS San Antonio disaster-relief operations scale up logistics.
Create a free account to see more recent TAP Air Portugal stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
