Air France–KLM further signaled its interest in the privatization of TAP with a visit to the Azores, where a delegation from the group assessed the importance and strategic relevance of connections with the region.
According to an official statement from the French-Dutch company sent to Lusa, “in the context of the TAP privatization process, a delegation from the Air France–KLM group visited the Azores this week with the aim of better understanding the region’s needs in terms of air connectivity”.
During the visit, the group’s representatives met with several local interlocutors, having the opportunity to “understand the importance of this connectivity for the mobility of Azoreans and for the development of the region”.
The Ponta Delgada Chamber of Commerce and Industry was one of the entities visited by the airline’s delegation, represented by the senior vice-president of M&A projects at the Air France–KLM Group, Frédéric Kahane and the general director for the Iberian Peninsula, Laurent Perrier.
This move is part of a phase in which the Government is in the process of selling a stake of up to 44.9% in TAP, and in which other large international groups, namely Lufthansa and IAG – the group that owns Iberia and British Airways, have also expressed interest.
Connectivity with the archipelagos, especially with the Azores, is one of the themes that has been highlighted as a condition in the sale, as TAP plays an essential role in connecting the autonomous regions and the continent, as well as in strengthening international routes that serve Portuguese communities abroad.
The specifications also provide that 5% of the capital will be reserved for workers, in accordance with the Privatization Law, and the future buyer will have the right of preference over the unsubscribed portion.
According to the calendar, candidates must send their declaration of interest to Parpública, manager of state holdings, by November 22nd.