LISBON: Portugal’s state holding company Parpublica says it received only three expressions of interest in a minority stake in flag carrier TAP, all from Europe’s largest airlines and none from outside the European Union, falling short of government hopes.
British Airways owner IAG, Air France-KLM and Germany’s Lufthansa had already announced that they had formally submitted expressions of interest.
Portugal relaunched the long-delayed privatisation of TAP in July, seeking to sell a 44.9% stake to an airline capable of boosting the company’s global scale and competitiveness, with a further 5% to be offered to TAP employees.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said in July that the government expected TAP’s privatisation to also draw interest from major airlines outside the European Union, citing the carrier’s untapped potential.
The deadline for airlines to formally express interest closed on Saturday at 1700 GMT. — Reuters
