en.Wedoany.com Reported - Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa Group, stated that if the group successfully acquires a 45% stake in TAP Air Portugal, it will dominate the flight market between the European Union and South America. Speaking on Tuesday (August 4), Spohr said, "We will be number one," noting that the group's position in the South Atlantic would be strengthened and that TAP would also benefit from Lufthansa Group's synergies.

Referring to the 15,000 seats offered by Star Alliance from the Portuguese capital, Spohr described Lisbon as the gateway to South America. Star Alliance brings together multiple airlines, including TAP and Lufthansa.

In 2025, the aviation market between the EU and South America was led by IAG with a 20% share; Air France-KLM held 17%, LATAM 13%, TAP ranked fourth with 11%, Turkish Airlines/Air Europa also held 11%, and Lufthansa Group accounted for 9%. Spohr stated that after acquiring TAP, the group would leap to the top, creating a balanced landscape of three strong groups in the South Atlantic and securing a better foothold in Portugal, Latin America, and the Argentina-Brazil market.

In terms of financial data, Lufthansa Group posted a loss of €542 million in the first half of this year, compared to a profit of €127 million in the same period last year; second-quarter profit fell from over €1 billion to €123 million, with fuel costs €750 million higher than a year earlier. The company warned that its operating profit target for this year is at risk due to high fuel prices, forecasting EBITDA of €1.7 billion to €2.2 billion. The company's share price fell nearly 11% that day to €8.24.

Last week, Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM submitted binding proposals to acquire TAP. Parpública, Portugal's state holding company for shareholdings, stated that it would be responsible for preparing a report detailing the proposals received and the findings of the information investigation, and for evaluating the proposals based on pre-selection criteria. The report will be submitted within 30 days to the government members responsible for finance and air transport; the deadline will be suspended accordingly if clarification is needed on any bidder's proposal.

On July 29, Lufthansa Group stated that its goal was to establish TAP as the "leading airline in the South Atlantic" based in Lisbon, and to build a "long-term partnership between Lufthansa Group and TAP Air Portugal, sustainably ensuring TAP's successful future as Portugal's national airline." The company said this partnership would strengthen Lisbon's position as a strategically significant Atlantic hub within the Lufthansa Group network and expand connectivity between Europe and Latin America, Africa, and North America.

Spohr noted that through the integration experience with SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and ITA Airways, Lufthansa Group has proven that its European integration model can secure the development prospects of markets and original hubs. He emphasized that Lufthansa Group has operated in Portugal for over 70 years, with its airlines flying 353 weekly flights to the country; the Lufthansa Technik center in Santa Maria da Feira, with an investment of €300 million, focuses on engine and aircraft component maintenance and is expected to employ 1,000 people by 2030. Lufthansa Group also mentioned that the recently established help alliance Portugal is its first European branch outside Germany for its solidarity organization.

In its statement, Lufthansa Group said its proposal for Portugal covers strategic, industrial, social, and financial dimensions, and it has successfully developed national airlines such as SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and ITA Airways while preserving each airline's national identity. As Europe's largest aviation group, Lufthansa Group possesses the necessary scale, experience, and financial strength to create sustainable value for TAP Air Portugal.