Angola eyes state-owned carrier TAAG’s privatization in 2026

Angola plans to continue restructuring state-owned airline TAAG next year before initiating the carrier’s privatization process in 2026. Transport Minister Ricardo Viegas d’Abreu said Monday the aim is to sell a direct stake in the 86-year-old airline to a partner that will help reduce operating costs and bolster TAAG’s global presence. “Right now TAAG is restructuring the fleet,” Viegas d’Abreu said in an Bloomberg Television interview in Luanda, the capital. “2026 will be the year where we will start engagement and negotiations and talks of the privatization of TAAG.” The Luanda-based airline’s biggest attraction lies in its links to Angola’s provinces and regular flights to Portugal and Brazil. TAAG has relied on government support for decades to make ends meet and posted a net loss of 90b kwanzas ($97.5m) in 2023. The privatization of TAAG takes place as Angola invests billions of dollars in a new airport and rail infrastructure in a bid to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy away from oil. It also comes as the government prepares to announce the winner of a tender to operate Luanda’s newly built $3b international airport.<br/>