Lufthansa intends to buy TAP shares and own 100% of the company

Lufthansa's financial director, Till Streichert, stated this Wednesday (15) that the airline is considering acquiring the remaining 50.1% of the majority stake in the Portuguese TAP.

Today this percentage belongs to the Portuguese government. In this process, Portugal could become a shareholder of Lufthansa with a stake of up to 5%, said the Lufthansa executive.

On Wednesday, the Portuguese government chose the German airline to acquire a stake of up to 49.9% in TAP for 1.2 billion euros (R$6.73 billion), to the detriment of rival Air France-KLM. According to the government, 5% of the participation must be passed on to the company's workers.

The deal, which has been negotiated for years and has suffered repeated delays, is the next step in the consolidation of the European airline sector.

Streichert stated that he expects the deal to close in the first half of 2028 and generate 450 million euros (R$2.52 billion) in synergies.

Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr commented that the deal was "a perfect fit" for the group.

Lufthansa already owns Austrian Airlines, ITA Airways and SWISS, among other airlines.

Spohr stated that it would be an easier transaction for the European Union to approve than that of Italy's ITA, whose restructuring is still underway, as there is less business overlap with Lufthansa.