Lufthansa seeks to bring the German Air Force pilot training school to Portugal
The group believes that its projects and its 70-year presence in Portugal are key assets in the race to privatise TAP. A German government tender could lead to the training of 100 pilots a year.
The rise in defence spending across Europe is attracting many companies, and Lufthansa is no exception. The move could involve Portugal, through the establishment of a training school for German Air Force pilots, which could also be used by other NATO countries.
Lufthansa’s CEO had hinted at the possibility of the group setting up a pilot training school in Portugal during the presentation of the annual accounts in early March. This week, the group’s chief strategy officer, Tamur Goudarzi-Pour, clarified what is at stake: a public tender launched by the German government, for which the German airline has submitted a bid.
“It is a tender launched by the German Ministry of Defence. I believe there have already been several discussions with the Portuguese authorities”, said Tamur Goudarzi-Pour during a meeting with journalists at Lufthansa’s headquarters in Frankfurt.
“We still have to win the tender, but we believe this is an opportunity to establish another business. It would be great if we could win and set this up in Portugal”, said the manager.
The school would have the capacity to train around 100 fighter pilots a year. Primarily for the German Ministry of Defence, but with the possibility of being used by other NATO member states in Europe, explained Tamur Goudarzi-Pour. The exact location in Portugal currently under consideration has not been disclosed.
“For us, defence is yet another growth area for Lufthansa Technik”, said the head of the group’s maintenance and engineering company. It had already been carrying out maintenance on military aircraft, but only provided they were unarmed – a restriction that has now been lifted to allow the scope of aircraft to be expanded.
The flight school may join other Lufthansa projects in Portugal. A service centre for the group has been operating in Porto for several years, serving clients worldwide, particularly in managing flight irregularities — such as cancellations or when a passenger misses a connection. It already employs around 400 people, to whom more than 500 will be added at the new Lufthansa Technik engine and component maintenance facility in Santa Maria da Feira. Construction is set to begin in the summer, as reported by ECO, with operations scheduled to start in 2028.
The German airline sees this relationship with Portugal, where it has been present for 70 years, as a key factor in the race to privatise 49.9% of TAP (of which 5% is earmarked for employees).
“It’s not just about flying to Portugal, but about the entire aviation system. There are many more indirect benefits we can generate as citizens of Portugal — not just as an airline within the aviation system — and which we can add as further value”, highlighted Tamur Goudarzi-Pour.
“We hope this will also prove very convincing in this case”, added the official, noting that “it should be taken into account”. The Lufthansa Group is set to submit a non-binding bid on Thursday, when the deadline for this second phase of TAP’s privatisation process expires.
Tamur Goudarzi-Pour also gave an assurance that even if the Lufthansa Group does not win the privatisation bid, the projects in Portugal will go ahead.
(ECO travelled to Frankfurt at the invitation of Lufthansa)
