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Aviation

TAP Closes the Sale of Its 49.9% Stake in SPdH Handling to Menzies — €3.2 Billion State Aid Plan Edges Toward Closure as the National Carrier Cuts Its Last Non-Core Equity Tie Ahead of the Privatisation

TAP Closes the Sale of Its 49.9% Stake in SPdH Handling to Menzies — €3.2 Billion State Aid Plan Edges Toward Closure as the National Carrier Cuts Its Last Non-Core Equity Tie Ahead of the Privatisation

TAP signed the contracts disposing of its 49.9% stake in SPdH ground-handling to Menzies on 7 May 2026, the last non-core equity tie under the 2021 EU Restructuring Plan covering €3.2 billion in State Aid. Closure subject to regulatory clearances; privatisation moves a step closer.
The Portugal Brief
Algarve Tourism Region Locks the New York Meeting With United Airlines Ahead of the 15 May 2026 Newark–Faro Restart — Four Weekly Polaris-Equipped Departures, an EUR 650 Economy Fare and a 9-Night Average US Stay Behind the Pitch

Algarve Tourism Region Locks the New York Meeting With United Airlines Ahead of the 15 May 2026 Newark–Faro Restart — Four Weekly Polaris-Equipped Departures, an EUR 650 Economy Fare and a 9-Night Average US Stay Behind the Pitch

The Região de Turismo do Algarve held its New York meeting with United Airlines on Tuesday to consolidate the Newark–Faro direct route ahead of the 15 May restart. Four weekly Polaris-equipped flights, an EUR 650 economy fare and a 9-night US average stay sit behind the pitch.
The Portugal Brief
TAP Books the Ex-CEO's €5.9 Million Indemnisation Claim Into the 2025 Accounts as a Civil Contingency — Civil Contingency Bucket Up From €28.5M to €34M, Auditor Disclosure With No Provision Set

TAP Books the Ex-CEO's €5.9 Million Indemnisation Claim Into the 2025 Accounts as a Civil Contingency — Civil Contingency Bucket Up From €28.5M to €34M, Auditor Disclosure With No Provision Set

TAP's 2025 accounts list Christine Ourmières-Widener's €5.9 million wrongful-dismissal claim as a civil contingency — recognised in disclosure, with no provision booked. The civil contingency line rises from €28.5M (2024) to €34M (2025), explicitly attributed to the former chief executive's case.
The Portugal Brief
Aviation Kerosene Set to Peak at $211.7 a Barrel in May — S&P Global Sees a 114% Two-Month Jump on Hormuz Disruption as Goldman Warns Europe's Jet-Fuel Stocks Could Drop to a 23-Day Cover and the Government Flags an End-August Shortage Risk

Aviation Kerosene Set to Peak at $211.7 a Barrel in May — S&P Global Sees a 114% Two-Month Jump on Hormuz Disruption as Goldman Warns Europe's Jet-Fuel Stocks Could Drop to a 23-Day Cover and the Government Flags an End-August Shortage Risk

S&P Global Ratings projects aviation kerosene will peak at $211.7 per barrel in May 2026 — up 114 percent in two months. Goldman Sachs sees Hormuz disruption taking 500,000 b/d offline with 23 percent of European jet-fuel exposure in play, and Lisbon has flagged an end-August shortage risk.
The Portugal Brief
Paulo Mirpuri, Founder of Air Luxor and Hi Fly, Has Died — A Lisbon Aviation Pioneer Who Built Portugal's Largest Charter Operator and the Conservation Foundation Behind It

Paulo Mirpuri, Founder of Air Luxor and Hi Fly, Has Died — A Lisbon Aviation Pioneer Who Built Portugal's Largest Charter Operator and the Conservation Foundation Behind It

Paulo Mirpuri died Saturday 2 May 2026. The Lisbon entrepreneur founded Air Luxor in 1988 (peak 2002: 1M passengers, €100M revenue) and Hi Fly in 2005, the charter and ACMI operator that put Portuguese widebodies on every continent and ran the only A380 in the world outside scheduled service.
The Portugal Brief