Air France-KLM welcomes IAG's decision to drop its bid for TAP. For the Franco-Dutch consortium, the exit of the Spanish owner of Iberia and British Airways from the privatisation race is seen as positive, providing more room for manoeuvre. CEO Benjamin Smith confirmed that the group remains committed to submitting a strong bid, noting that the reduction in competitors does not change their strategy. Meanwhile, the Portuguese government has authorised Air France-KLM and Lufthansa to proceed to the next phase of the privatisation process, with Minister Miguel Pinto Luz stating that the financial offer will be a decisive factor in the final selection.
Air France-KLM CEO: “IAG's withdrawal is positive for us. We will present a strong proposal for the purchase of TAP”
Thursday, 30 April 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
TAP Air Portugal is Portugal’s flag-carrier airline, founded on 14 March 1945 as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses. It began operations in 1946 with Lisbon–Madrid and quickly opened the long “Linha Aérea Imperial” to Angola and Mozambique, symbolically linking mainland Portugal to its overseas territories. TAP entered the jet age in the 1960s, became Europe’s first all‑jet airline in 1967, and rebranded as TAP Air Portugal in 1979. Nationalised after the 1974 Carnation Revolution, it went through cycles of partial privatisation and renationalisation, remaining a strategic state‑controlled company due to its role in connectivity, tourism, exports, and the Portuguese diaspora, especially to Brazil, Africa, and North America. Today TAP operates an all‑Airbus fleet from its Lisbon hub, marketing itself as a bridge between Europe, Africa, and the Americas and as a key economic and symbolic asset for Portugal.
