Ryanair's CEO believes that the State will eventually sell TAP to the Spanish company Iberia. In an interview with ECO, Michael O’Leary says that the Government will invest more in Lisbon airport and there will be “more competition, more tourism and growth”.

“The Portuguese Government wants to rescue TAP and package it up to give it to someone,” said the head of the Irish company in an interview with ECO, pointing several times to Iberia as a potential buyer. “Once TAP is sold to Iberia, then the Portuguese Government will invest more here”, he added, referring to Lisbon airport.

In an interview with ECO in December 2021, the Minister of Infrastructure said that there were three airlines interested in buying TAP, without revealing which ones. However, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and Iberia-British Airways have been identified as potential buyers. Pedro Nuno Santos noted that they were “three funds and three aviation groups” and that the Government considers that “TAP should be part of an aviation group”.