IAG Group promises to develop TAP hub in Lisbon
The airline conglomerate IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia, has promised that if its eventual bid for Portuguese State airline TAP is successful, it will develop a TAP hub at Lisbon airport in a similar way that it had done in Dublin, Ireland.
Experienced in integrating other airlines and in good financial health, the main stumbling block to IAG Group’s bid for TAP is that it owns Iberia whose hub is in Madrid- a hub that is seen as a threat to Lisbon Airport.
However, ECO online reports that the British Group has assured that its objective is to develop a hub in Lisbon and insists that the two airlines will cooperate.
“The Lisbon hub is a key asset for TAP. It is in our interest to develop the hub. It is the only thing that make sense for the business,” said Jonathan Sullivan, executive director who is in charge of Group IAG’s business development at the conglomerate that also holds Irish airline Aer Lingus, during a meeting with reporters in Dublin.
The executive went further by saying that cooperation between the two airlines (TAP and Iberia) should TAP fall under the IAG umbrella.
“What TAP should want from these two hubs, which are close, is for them to compliment each other and offer more routes for customers,” he said.
Adding: “This will help us to increase the choice for TAP which in turn can grow more and better since customers will benefit. We believe that it is an advantage to have these two hubs close together.”
At the same time, the IAG Group accepts that it may hold a minority share in a reprivatized TAP but has informed the Portuguese government that it would prefer to hold a majority or total share in TAP.