Luanda, Nov. 5, 2025 (Lusa) - Angola signed a contract on Wednesday with Lufthansa to support the restructuring of TAAG airline, marking a new phase for the national flag carrier, which is looking for a partner to "marry", said the minister of transport.
"We felt it was very important to establish this form of partnership in order to have Lufthansa's support in the process of modernising and restructuring TAAG in different areas, ensuring that, in fact, we will have a flagship airline of reference, preferably at the African continent level," said Ricardo Viegas d'Abreu, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the meeting between President João Lourenço and his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the Presidential Palace in Luanda.
According to the minister, the areas of intervention cover "improving the corporate governance model, commercial, maintenance, engineering, training, operations and support in defining important routes", with a view to realising the "vision of a national air hub" that is integrated with the opening of the new Dr António Agostinho Neto International Airport.
"This work is already underway and we now have the opportunity to secure the support of one of Europe's leading civil aviation groups, which can be very useful to us in this transformation process," said Ricardo Viegas d'Abreu.
The minister explained that this is a "service agreement" that "obviously has a financial component," assuring that "the conditions are in place to ensure that everything runs smoothly."
"It is an investment we are making in the transformation of our flag carrier. TAAG's shareholders are also the main sponsors of this investment in the restructuring and modernisation of the company," he added, declining to reveal the amount involved.
"It makes no sense to mention the price, but it is an investment within the appropriate standards and will ensure that we have a restructured, capable and preferred airline in the southern African region for the connectivity of the continent," he explained.
The minister said that the relationship with Lufthansa "has existed for some time" and that the contract now signed "formalises at the highest level this commitment" with "one of the leading European civil aviation and air transport groups".
Asked about the future of the company and the privatisation process, Ricardo Viegas d'Abreu acknowledged that the two issues are related: "Of course they are related. We have always said that we would like to be able to enter into a process of opening up TAAG's capital when we are in a more suitable position to work with partners," he said.
"We want to be able to choose who we want to marry. So we have to prepare for that," said the minister, adding that Lufthansa "could be a desirable partner" in this process.
Ricardo Viegas d'Abreu pointed out that the partnership also reinforces the strategy of transforming Angola into a regional air transport hub.
"It is not just TAAG, it is a group of other agents and entities. The formulation of the hub is not done exclusively by one entity, although TAAG has a strong responsibility in this, because it is our flag carrier and today occupies a leading position," he said.
Currently, TAAG has a market share of around 70% in international connections and 90% nationally, "which demonstrates the responsibility" of having "an airline with financial health, operational efficiency and safety, conditions that will allow us to further develop the sector," concluded the Minister of Transport.
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