Strategic alliances and partnerships between airlines: A case study applied to TAP Air Portugal

Purpose: This study addresses the problem of selecting an appropriate strategic partner for TAP Air Portugal, considering both the airline’s structural characteristics and the current competitive dynamics of the aviation sector.Design/methodology/approach: The research is grounded in a review of the literature on strategic alliances and bilateral partnerships in commercial aviation, followed by an analytical assessment of TAP Air Portugal as a potential partner within the global airline network. A set of candidate airlines is identified based on criteria of geographic, operational, and financial complementarity.To support the partner selection process, a hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making framework combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy TOPSIS is applied. Expert judgments are used to derive the relative importance of the decision criteria, while fuzzy logic is employed to address uncertainty and imprecision in the evaluation of alternative partners. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the robustness and stability of the results.Findings: The findings identify China Southern Airlines as the most suitable strategic partner for TAP Air Portugal, primarily due to its strong network complementarity and financial robustness. The results demonstrate the value of structured decision-support methodologies in supporting transparent and robust strategic decisions in the airline industry, particularly in complex and uncertain strategic environments.Research limitations/implications: The analysis relies on expert judgment and a predefined set of candidate airlines.Originality/value: This paper offers a structured and replicable decision-support framework for airline strategic partner selection, combining AHP and Fuzzy TOPSIS. By focusing on a medium-sized network carrier, it extends existing literature beyond global alliances and provides practical insights applicable to airline management under uncertainty.