Lufthansa wins bidding duel for Portugal's TAP – entry for 1.2 billion euros

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Lufthansa wins bidding duel for Portugal's TAP – entry for 1.2 billion euros.

What was decided in Lisbon

Lufthansa is taking a stake in the Portuguese state airline TAP. The government in Lisbon chose the crane group as its preferred partner for the acquisition of 44.9 percent of the shares – awarding it the deal over rival Air France-KLM. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced this.

What's known so far

According to Tagesanzeiger, Lufthansa is paying around 1.2 billion euros for the 44.9-percent stake. Spiegel and Handelsblatt confirm the award in agreement, while Focus and the Süddeutsche Zeitung describe the move as a major Lufthansa stake in TAP.

Why Lufthansa got the nod

According to a Handelsblatt report, the decisive factor was that Lufthansa offered to pay the full purchase price in cash – the offer from Air France-KLM was reportedly less attractive by comparison. This means Lufthansa also has the upper hand for the second time in a bidding duel between the two major European airline groups within a short period.

What this means for you

For travelers, nothing changes in the short term. In the medium term, the Lufthansa Group could expand its route network to Lisbon and into Portuguese-speaking markets in Brazil and Africa. Until completion, contract negotiations and antitrust reviews will now follow.

Status: 14.10.2026, further details to follow.