Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group are the two active bidders competing to acquire up to a 49.9% strategic stake in TAP Air Portugal (TAP) as part of the Portuguese government’s ongoing privatization process. International Airlines Group (IAG), a third contender, withdrew. When Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group submitted their binding offers in JUL26, the Portuguese government spoke of two proposals that differ only in minor details. Consequently, the Portuguese Assessment Commission opened a final negotiation round so that both groups can amend their bids.
The deadline for this is 31DEC26. The government then plans to announce which of the candidates it will start exclusive sales negotiations with. The outcome will not only determine TAP’s future place in European airline consolidation, but also which cargo technology and data ecosystem the carrier ultimately joins.
Lisbon as a South Atlantic hub
Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group have both identified Lisbon Airport (LIS) as strategically important to their bids, with Air France-KLM positioning it as its Southern European hub and Lufthansa Group emphasizing its role as a South Atlantic hub. Its geographic position provides strong access to markets in the Americas and Africa.
TAP held an 11% share of the EU–South America market in 2025, according to Lufthansa Group, ranking fourth behind IAG (20%), Air France-KLM (17%), and LATAM (13%). For Lufthansa Group, TAP would strengthen a comparatively weak South Atlantic position: including ITA Airways, the group held a 9% share of the EU–South America market in 2025. Air France-KLM, by contrast, already held 17% of the market, making it the second-largest player behind IAG’s 20%.
Air France-KLM’s cargo platform integration
TAP would bring more than network reach. Its cargo business operates a distinct technology and data ecosystem, which would have to be integrated with that of the successful bidder.
In 2005, Air France-KLM cargo customers were offered one contact, one contract, and one network, while Air France and KLM still retained two operational systems: one associated with Paris-CDG, and the other with Amsterdam-Schiphol.
After Air France and KLM combined, cargo operations moved toward a common commercial technology environment. In 2018, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo completed the rollout of AFLS, bringing booking, offers, pricing, rating, capacity, and revenue management, flight planning, and AWB control into a common commercial platform.
Lufthansa’s ITA Airways integration and process mining
Lufthansa Group has followed a phased approach to airline integration. ITA Airways is already undergoing integration into the group, with full organizational and financial integration expected after Lufthansa Group increases its stake from 41% to 90% in early 2027. Customer-facing changes moved faster, and Lufthansa Cargo began marketing ITA Airways’ freight capacity on selected routes in JUN25, expanding this to almost all its belly capacity by OCT25.
Lufthansa Cargo uses Celonis Process Sphere, where the AWB sits at the core of its Object-Centric Process Mining (OCPM). A central data model connects Customer Booking, Handling and Customer Service with Revenue Accounting. The objective is to evaluate end-to-end cost efficiency, process compliance, and quality.
Digital ecosystems will need to speak to each other
Lufthansa Cargo handles its capacity with IBS iCargo, while AFKLMP Cargo relies on Accenture Freight & Logistics (AFLS). TAP’s main cargo-management application is CHAMP Cargospot Airline.
TAP also connects directly with cargo.one, WebCargo, and CargoAi. TAP says these platforms provide real-time pricing, capacity, quotes, and bookings, with CargoAi bookings reaching TAP through APIs.
Digital interactions generate different types of commercial data. Completed bookings show what customers actually purchased, while data from searches, route enquiries, availability requests, capacity checks, and booking attempts can potentially reveal demand even when customers do not ultimately book. The latter can be particularly valuable for demand mining, as these signals could support revenue optimization through a better understanding of demand patterns and booking behavior.
Operational data can reveal shipment irregularities, process deviations, and handling bottlenecks. Proper integration of TAP’s digital ecosystem could therefore affect how much value the successful bidder derives from its investment.
The data value behind TAP
Whichever bidder acquires a stake in TAP will have to deal with a cargo technology environment different from its own. The challenge will be not only to connect these systems, but to preserve TAP’s historical commercial and operational data, and make it usable alongside the buyer’s existing data.
The value of TAP may, therefore, lie not only in its aircraft, hub, slots, and network, but also in the commercial and operational data accumulated across its cargo business, and the successful bidder’s ability to integrate and mine it. In addition to its interest in TAP, Air France-KLM is also looking north. The group intends to increase its stake in Copenhagen-based SASfrom 19.9% to 60.5% by the end of the year, thus adding another airline to its empire.
