Cateringpor Sold to Gate Gourmet as TAP Fulfils Final Restructuring Commitment to Brussels
TAP Air Portugal has completed the sale of its 51 per cent stake in Cateringpor, the airline catering company that prepares meals for flights departing from Lisbon and Porto, to the Swiss group Gate Gourmet for a base price of EUR 9.57 million. Gate...
TAP Air Portugal has completed the sale of its 51 per cent stake in Cateringpor, the airline catering company that prepares meals for flights departing from Lisbon and Porto, to the Swiss group Gate Gourmet for a base price of EUR 9.57 million. Gate Gourmet, a subsidiary of gategroup and part of the RBH Holdings conglomerate, already held the remaining 49 per cent and now takes full ownership of the operation.
A Restructuring Commitment Fulfilled
The divestiture was one of the outstanding obligations in TAP's European Commission-approved restructuring plan, agreed in December 2021 as a condition of the EUR 3.2 billion state bailout that kept the airline alive during the pandemic. Under the plan, TAP was required to sell non-core assets and reduce its perimeter to focus on flight operations. The sale of Groundforce handling services to Pasogal in 2023 and the disposal of the Portugalia regional brand in 2024 were earlier milestones. Cateringpor was one of the last remaining commitments.
The proceeds go directly to the Portuguese State, which still owns 100 per cent of TAP through the Direção-Geral do Tesouro e Finanças. The government has repeatedly stated its intention to reprivatise the airline, with Transport Minister Miguel Pinto Luz confirming in February that the process would move forward in the second half of 2026 — though a timeline for launching the tender has not been set.
What Cateringpor Does
Cateringpor operates industrial kitchens at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport and at Porto's Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, producing an estimated 15 million meals per year for TAP and other airline clients. The company employs approximately 800 workers. Under the previous joint-venture structure, TAP held the majority stake but Gate Gourmet managed day-to-day operations.
Gate Gourmet is one of the world's largest independent airline catering providers, serving more than 700 million meals annually across 60 countries. Its parent company, gategroup, was taken private by HNA Group in 2017 and subsequently transferred to RBH Holdings after HNA's restructuring. The full acquisition of Cateringpor gives Gate Gourmet a stronger foothold in the Iberian Peninsula, complementing its existing operations in Madrid and Barcelona.
What It Means for TAP Passengers
For travellers, the change of ownership is unlikely to produce any immediate difference. Gate Gourmet was already responsible for menu planning and food safety under the joint-venture arrangement. TAP will continue to purchase catering services from the company under a long-term supply contract, the terms of which have not been disclosed.
The more significant question is what comes next for TAP itself. The airline reported a 92 per cent drop in net income for 2025, largely due to a one-off tax adjustment, even as operating performance improved — see our earlier coverage of TAP's annual results. With fuel costs surging above USD 100 per barrel amid the Middle East crisis, the privatisation timeline faces headwinds. Potential bidders — Lufthansa, IAG, and Air France-KLM have all been mentioned in Portuguese media — will want clarity on TAP's energy cost exposure before committing.
For more on TAP's strategic moves, see our report on the airline's new Economy Prime cabin class and its EUR 20 million Porto hub investment.
