The executive president (CEO) of TAP, Christine Ourmières-Widener, said this Thursday that the integration of the company in a large aviation group will contribute to its future resilience, although she did not advance deadlines for the reprivatization process.
“Be part of a great group would be a source of resilience for the future“, considered Ourmières-Widener, during a meeting with the foreign press, in Lisbon, in which he guaranteed that the TAP administration “will support any process”.
Various media have reported that the Government plans to launch the TAP reprivatization process, in which Lufthansa, Air France/KLM and the IAG group (British Airways and Iberia) would be interested, although the latter was the worst positioned because it could harm the connection platform (center) of the company at the Humberto Delgado Airport, in Lisbon.
According to EFE, the director considered that it would be “inappropriate” to comment on possible buyers and did not advance deadlines for a possible salebut he defended that the airline is a “fantastic opportunity” within Europe.
“We have one of the most modern fleets in Europe,” he stressed.
TAP’s chief executive acknowledged that macroeconomic forecasts pointing to a possible recession are cause for concern for the airline, but noted that the situation is not the same in all countries.
Due to the destinations we travel to, we see that there is still a significant appetite”, he explained, although he admitted that there is a special concern with the British market.
This year, spending on fuel will approach 1,000 million euros, a figure higher than that budgeted by the airline.
The company is especially committed to the Brazilian market, where it already has a “great presence”, and sees the potential to increase frequencies in the 11 destinations it already operates in that territory.
For this reason, the imminent presidential elections in Brazil “are of relevant importance” for the airline.
TAP was severely affected by the pandemic, having received state aid of around €3.2 billion and becoming wholly owned by the state.
Source: Observadora
