TAP Air Portugal Partial Sale: Lufthansa Wins Bid Against Air France–KLM


Vente partielle TAP Air Portugal : Lufthansa remporte la mise face à Air France - KLM - Depositphotos.com  Auteur russell102

PONANT


Air France – KLM or Lufthansa?

The outcome was determined today for the minority stake in TAP Air Portugal. The government ultimately turned to the German group Lufthansa.

This entity was chosen to acquire 44.9% of the capital of the Portuguese national carrier, sidelining the Air France – KLM offer.

The Portuguese government is expected to receive 1.2 billion euros thanks to the sale of a stake in TAP Air Portugal, with a total valuation estimated at 2.55 billion euros.


The Portuguese state retains 50.1% of the capital

« After reviewing the proposals, the government chose Lufthansa’s bid, whose financial offer is 16% higher than the rival bid and carries a lower degree of uncertainty », said the prime minister at the end of the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, as cited by the Portuguese press.

The Portuguese state holds 50.1% of the capital, the remaining 5% will be reserved for employees.

TAP Air Portugal carried 16.7 million passengers in 2025.


The reaction of Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM

Following the Portuguese government’s decision to keep Lufthansa in the partial privatization of TAP Air Portugal, Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, took care to commend the work of the group’s teams and to express his regrets.

« I would like to congratulate our teams for the remarkable work they have accomplished over the past months and years. I know this is not the outcome we hoped for collectively», he stated.

Air France-KLM had presented an offer that its leader described as a « strong and comprehensive », respectful « of TAP’s brand and heritage », with ambitions for the future development of the Portuguese carrier.

Despite this decision, Ben Smith asserts that « this does not change our strategy ». The group plans in particular to pursue its SAS – Scandinavian Airlines integration project, « subject to regulatory approvals ».

The executive finally extended his best wishes to the TAP Air Portugal teams: « We would have loved to welcome you into our family, but we will gladly welcome you aboard our airlines as friendly competitors. » He closed his message with these words in Portuguese: « Obrigado e votos de muito sucesso ! »

Ryanair Wins Court Battle Against eDreams in Ireland


Ryanair remporte une bataille judiciaire contre eDreams en Irlande - Depositphotos.com, InkDropCreative

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Ryanair announced, on July 22, 2026, that it had obtained a ruling in its favor from the Irish High Court against eDreams.

The court rejected the challenge of the online booking platform, which sought to call into question the jurisdiction of the Irish courts in the dispute with the airline.

This decision now allows the proceedings initiated by Ryanair to continue.

The airline accuses eDreams of carrying out the “screenscraping” of its Ryanair.com site, that is, automatically collecting information available online, and reselling its tickets at prices higher than those displayed directly by the airline.


A case that can now proceed

For Ryanair, the High Court’s decision marks a new step in its dispute with eDreams. The airline is notably seeking to put an end to practices that it regards as a source of overcharging for consumers.

“We welcome this victory by the High Court for Ryanair and our customers in the face of eDreams. eDreams’ attempt to avoid the Irish courts has failed and our action aimed at preventing eDreams from performing screen-scraping of Ryanair.com and overcharging consumers can now proceed“, said a spokesperson for the low-cost carrier in a statement.

The company also notes that it has already obtained a separate High Court decision imposing on eDreams a permanent commitment not to access its Travel Agent Direct (TAD) platform.


Direct access to fares under conditions

Indeed, Ryanair claims to have found that eDreams used this platform without authorization to resell the airline’s tickets. Following this proceeding, eDreams permanently agreed to no longer access Travel Agent Direct.

The dispute is more broadly about the terms of access to Ryanair’s fares by online travel agencies.

The company asserts that several authorized partners, including Booking.com, Lastminute and Kiwi, have direct access to its fares under distribution agreements based on price transparency rules.

According to Ryanair, these agreements allow customers to know the real price of the tickets and services offered at the time of booking. The airline reproaches eDreams for not having accepted the same transparency standards.

“If eDreams wishes direct access to Ryanair’s fares, it simply needs to accept the same transparency standards as those already adopted by Booking.com, Lastminute, Kiwi and many other partners“, added the airline’s spokesperson.

Ryanair says it intends to continue its actions to curb practices it regards as likely to lead to traveler overcharging and to prioritize access to its fares through approved distribution partners.


Amelia Brille Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor
See all articles by Amelia Brille

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