The official had already made the intentions of the company known in an interview with ECO, before the approval of the restructuring plan by the European Commission, when he said that the company wanted “as many slots as possible” that Brussels would take from TAP.

This year, in an interview with Dinheiro Vivo, the manager reinforced this intention: “When there are rules, we will present our business plan to try to win these slots and grow in Lisbon, presenting a model that compensates passengers”. He also said that if he kept the slots, he would base three more planes in Lisbon and create 100 jobs.

The assignment of 18 slots (nine landing and take-off pairs) was one of the remedies imposed by Brussels for the approval of the €3.2 million state aid to TAP. In addition to easyJet, Ryanair is also expected to enter the race.

Interested companies have until March 24 to submit their preliminary proposal. On April 25, the list of candidate air carriers will be communicated, who have until May 12 to submit their final proposals. The decision of the European Commission is scheduled for June. The winner will be able to use the slots from the next IATA winter, which starts at the end of October.