British Airways’ (BA) parent company is thought to be considering a bid to acquire the Portuguese national carrier TAP Portugal.
According to a report in the Sunday Times,the International Airlines Group is keen to expand further, following the successful merger of BA and Iberia.
The paper cites industry sources saying that informal talks between IAG and TAP have already been held.
Other airlines that IAG is thought to be keeping an eye on for potential future acquisition include Finnair and Bmi.
Richard Tams, BA’s head of sales and marketing UK and Ireland, said the merger with Iberia was the “first step to something much bigger”.
Speaking at the Advantage Travel Conference in Madrid, he said the new group formed by the two carriers, was “creating a platform for greater consolidation”.