Portugal Says Interest in TAP Holds as Bid Deadline Nears

Portugal is confident Europe’s three biggest airline groups will bid for a stake in TAP SA ahead of a deadline this week, brushing aside concerns that the Iran war is fueling oil volatility and uncertainty across the aviation sector.

State-owned TAP stands out because it’s “probably the last” mid-sized airline in Europe available on the market, with strong links to South America, Africa, the US and Canada that make it especially attractive to rivals, Finance Minister Joaquim Miranda Sarmento said in a Bloomberg Television interview on Monday.