The French-Dutch airline Air France-KLM is considering buying a stake in the Portuguese airline Tap, according to statements from Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, on Friday.

Air France-KLM would "definitely formalize interest" if shares in the Portuguese airline were to come up for sale, is the message.

TAP was rescued by the Portuguese government during the corona pandemic.

”If the right circumstances are in place, we are interested,” Ben Smith told Bloomberg, adding that consolidation is key, while the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal, editor's note) is a region that Air France-KLM has studied in depth for several years.

The Portuguese government has expressed interest in finding an ownership partner, in the form of a major airline or its owner, to turn around TAP's fortunes. Last year's losses amounted to 1.6 billion euros and the government's rescue plan was 2.6 billion euros.

Source: Nyhetsbyrån Direkt-DI.SE