Lisbon, July 2, 2024 (Lusa) - TAP's CEO, Luís Rodrigues, said today that the airline's results in the second quarter will be "much better" than those of the first and that he is very optimistic about the summer operation.

"[The second quarter] will be much better than the first, which was a perfectly natural process," said the chairman of TAP, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the 27th ATRS (Air Transport Research Society) Conference in Lisbon.

The airline's chairman didn't want to give any more details about the second quarter results, referring to more information for "due course".

TAP reported losses of €71.9 million in the first quarter of the year, a worsening of the negative net result of €57.4 million recorded in the same period last year.

In 2023, the airline made a 'record' profit of €177.3 million, with a loss of €26.2 million in the last quarter of that year.

Luís Rodrigues, who spoke at today's conference, also said he was "very optimistic" about the summer operation, which he hopes will go as smoothly as possible, "within the constraints" that exist at Lisbon airport.

Asked about TAP's privatisation process, he said that the company was prepared for any scenario.

"I think the minister for infrastructure recently made it public that there would be news about TAP in September," said Luís Rodrigues, adding that he had not spoken to the government about this process. "I don't have to talk," he concluded.

The previous Socialist government began the process of reprivatising TAP last year and hoped to have the operation concluded in the first half of this year, but the operation was put on hold due to the dissolution of parliament and the early parliamentary elections in March, which gave victory to the Democratic Alliance (PSD, CDS-PP and PPM).

MPE/ADB // ADB.

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