The Portuguese government has officially invited the Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM to submit binding proposals for the acquisition of a minority stake in the national carrier, TAP Air Portugal (TAP). Lufthansa has confirmed its strong interest, describing the airline as a strategic asset and promising a competitive offer. This invitation marks a significant step forward in the privatization process for the state-owned company.
Government invites binding bids for TAP Air Portugal stake
Thursday, 23 April 2026AI summary
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.
