The head of the PSD/CDS-PP government was questioned on this matter during the debate on the state of the nation in the Assembly of the Republic by the parliamentary leader and sole candidate for the IL leadership, Mariana Leitão, who accused him of "lack of courage" for moving forward with only a partial privatization of the airline.

"Regarding TAP, I understand. The deputy advocates full privatization, and I also make no secret of that opinion. But we have to be realistic and cautious. This is the first phase, 49.9% of the capital," the Prime Minister began his response.

Luís Montenegro stated that at this stage, the government will assess "the scope of the proposals" presented and whether they align with the "goal of making the company viable and envisioning its growth."

"But we will, of course, from there, see what can be done in a second phase," he added.

Previously, the parliamentary leader of IL argued that "the minimum required was full privatization, something that, surprisingly, even António Costa advocated" and asked the prime minister if "he will have the courage to do what should have been done a long time ago and relieve the Portuguese people of this burden, or will he continue to keep TAP in the hands of the state."

Luís Montenegro countered that the PSD/CDS-PP government—which lacks an absolute majority in parliament—had to "guarantee the political and, now, commercial conditions for successful operations."

"And that's what we did. Were we more cautious? Yes, we were. But we were conscious. The honourable member wanted us to make a proposal that was more in line with the IL, and then it would have been thwarted in Parliament, and do you know what would have happened at the end of the day? Everything would have stayed the same," he argued.

According to the Prime Minister, "the IL wants to change everything, and then everything stays the same," while the Government wants to "change what is possible to gradually achieve successes that will have repercussions on the life of the country."