Lufthansa und Lissabon unterzeichnen Tap-Einstieg

Frankfurt/Main - Lufthansa and the Portuguese government have formally agreed to Lufthansa's stake in Portuguese airline Tap, marking a significant milestone in the privatization process. In a Lufthansa announcement, it was stated that "this represents a crucial milestone in the privatization proceedings of Tap." The agreed purchase price for the initial 44.9% stake amounts to 1.025 billion euros, with up to 5% reserved for Tap employees, potentially transferring to Lufthansa, increasing the total cost to 1.2 billion euros.

Currently, the Portuguese state holds the majority share, approximately 50%, while Lufthansa maintains the remaining portion. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr emphasized in the announcement that "today's signing is an outstanding and forward-looking signal for our joint future with Tap Air Portugal and the further development of the Lufthansa Group."

"Our networks complement each other perfectly and open up new growth prospects for us, particularly in South America and Brazil," Spohr added.

Lufthansa secured a minority stake in Tap in mid-October from the Portuguese government, surpassing its French-Netherlands competitor Air France-KLM, who had previously won the majority stake in Scandinavian airline SAS. The Tap entry remains contingent on approval from competition authorities.