Lisbon, June 22, 2026 (Lusa) — The Portuguese government has approved a declaration of intent with Lufthansa to study the establishment in Portugal of a pilot training school for the German Air Force, which could also train pilots from allied countries.
The order, published on Monday in the official government gazette, approves the draft declaration of intent between the Portuguese Government, Lufthansa Technik AG and Lufthansa Aviation Training GmbH, and was signed on 9 June by the defence minister, Nuno Melo.
The project will now undergo technical, operational, legal and economic feasibility studies before any final decision is taken.
The declaration of intent is non-binding, “intended solely to establish a framework for cooperation and to record the parties’ intentions regarding the development and evaluation of the project, without prejudice to any approvals, legal procedures and legal instruments that may prove necessary in subsequent phases”, the document states.
The order also delegates the signing of the declaration of intent to the Director-General for Armaments and Defence Assets, António José de Morais Baptista.
The Government justifies its interest in the project by citing the enhancement of national capabilities in the aeronautical and defence sectors, the creation of skilled jobs and the strengthening of cooperation between allied countries.
In April, at a meeting with Portuguese journalists, Lufthansa had already acknowledged that it was considering setting up a pilot training school in Portugal, initially intended for the German Air Force, but with the possibility of eventually extending to other allied European countries and other aviation-related activities.
At the time, the German group’s head of strategy, Tamur Goudarzi Pour, stated in Frankfurt that the matter was under discussion with the German Ministry of Defence, without revealing the location under consideration.
He also said that the school could have the capacity to train around 100 pilots a year and emphasised that the defence sector is a growing segment for Lufthansa Technik.
Lufthansa Technik is also building an industrial facility at the Lusopark business park in Santa Maria da Feira, in the region of Aveiro, dedicated to the repair and maintenance of aircraft components. This investment, valued at hundreds of millions of euros, is expected to create more than 700 skilled jobs by 2027.
The new project also comes at a time when Lufthansa remains in the running for the privatisation of TAP, alongside Air France-KLM.
The tender specifications provide for the sale of up to 44.9% of TAP’s share capital, with 5% reserved for employees, whilst any unsubscribed stake is subject to the future buyer’s right of first refusal.
According to the planned timetable, interested parties must submit binding bids by the end of July.
Last week, the Minister for Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, told Antena1 radio that the Government expects to select the winner by September and that the chosen group could take over co-management of the airline as early as 2026, prior to the actual acquisition of a stake, estimated for the summer of 2027, following a green light from Brussels.
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