Europe’s three major airline groups—Air France-KLM, International Airlines Group, and Lufthansa Group—may expand further despite facing geopolitical challenges and renewed EU competition scrutiny. For over a decade, these network carriers have complained that European Union regulations have weakened their competitiveness. The latest consolidation wave could see significant changes, with both Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group currently bidding for stakes in TAP Air Portugal, potentially reshaping Europe’s aviation landscape amid ongoing regulatory and competitive pressures.
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Victoria Moores
May 08, 2026
Air France-KLM is one of two major airline groups bidding for a stake in TAP Air Portugal, with Lufthansa Group the other. Credit: Rob Finlayson
For over a decade, Europe’s three major network carrier groups—Air France-KLM Group, International Airlines Group (IAG) and Lufthansa Group—have warned that European Union (EU) red tape was sapping their competitiveness. The question is whether the latest round of airline consolidation, a…
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