{"id":1119964,"date":"2026-07-30T11:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T11:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1119964\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T11:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T11:18:12","slug":"lufthansa-group-air-france-klm-submit-rival-bids-for-stake-in-tap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1119964\/","title":{"rendered":"Lufthansa Group, Air France-KLM submit rival bids for stake in TAP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Competition to become a strategic shareholder in TAP Air Portugal has intensified after both Lufthansa Group<\/a> and Air France-KLM <\/a>confirmed they have submitted bids to Parp\u00fablica, Portugal\u2019s state-owned investment company, as part of the ongoing privatisation process for the flag carrier.<\/p>\n

Lufthansa Group announced it has submitted a bid for an initial minority stake in TAP, saying the investment is intended to establish a long-term partnership that would secure the Portuguese airline\u2019s future on a sustainable basis.<\/p>\n

The German airline group said it aims to strengthen TAP\u2019s position within the Lufthansa Group while preserving its role as Portugal\u2019s national airline and further developing Lisbon as a strategic hub for South Atlantic operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lufthansa Group stands for a long-standing, trusted, and strategic partnership with Portugal,\u201d said Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr. \u201cOur interest in taking a stake in our Star Alliance partner TAP Air Portugal is the next logical step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spohr said the group has invested in Portugal for decades, creating skilled jobs and improving connectivity between Portugal and the rest of Europe. He added that Lufthansa\u2019s experience integrating carriers such as SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways demonstrates how joining the group can support growth while strengthening national airlines and their home hubs.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Air France-KLM confirmed it has submitted a binding offer for a stake of between 44.9% and 49.9% in TAP Air Portugal, describing the proposal as a comprehensive strategic plan designed to strengthen the airline while creating jobs and economic value across Portugal.<\/p>\n

The Franco-Dutch airline group said its proposal includes detailed projections for employment and investment and is backed by its long-standing joint venture partner and shareholder Delta Air Lines <\/a>(Delta). Delta said its support reflects a shared ambition to strengthen Portugal\u2019s global connectivity, particularly across the North Atlantic, should TAP become part of the Air France-KLM Group.<\/p>\n

Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith said the offer is the culmination of three years of work with Portuguese stakeholders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have submitted today is not just a proposed price for an airline,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt is a strategic, extensive, and comprehensive long-term plan for TAP and for Portugal as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the group\u2019s vision is to build on TAP\u2019s 81-year history while ensuring sustainable long-term growth not only in Lisbon but also in Porto and other Portuguese cities. Smith said the acquisition would also support Air France-KLM\u2019s ambition to create a stronger European aviation group while contributing to European strategic autonomy.<\/p>\n

The Portuguese government is seeking a strategic investor for TAP Air Portugal through a privatisation process that has attracted interest from Europe\u2019s three largest airline groups, with Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM now formally confirming their participation. The outcome is expected to shape the future ownership and strategic direction of the Star Alliance carrier, which occupies a key position in transatlantic and South Atlantic markets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Competition to become a strategic shareholder in TAP Air Portugal has intensified after both Lufthansa Group and Air…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1119965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5309],"tags":[6474,2000,299,36,58900],"class_list":["post-1119964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-france","tag-delta-air-lines","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-france","tag-lufthansa-group"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1119964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1119965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1119964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1119964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1119964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}