TAP bids rise
Lufthansa and Air France-KLM have increased their offers to more than €1 billion to acquire a minority stake in TAP Air Portugal. The two groups are competing to acquire up to 44.9% of the Portuguese state-controlled airline, while a further 5% is initially reserved for employees. Portugal had asked them to improve their proposals after assessing the binding offers submitted on 29 July as broadly similar. Lufthansa and Air France-KLM have also proposed using shares in their respective groups in the event of a future transaction involving a larger stake in TAP. Price will be considered alongside the industrial plans, including commitments to retain Lisbon as an airport hub, invest in the airline and develop its operations. The Portuguese Government plans to select the buyer by mid-October, following a report on the bids by state holding company Parpública. TAP is attractive because of its connections with Brazil, other Latin American markets and Africa, while the transaction would strengthen the acquiring group’s presence in southern Europe. In the first half of this year, TAP reported a €99 million loss, partly due to higher fuel costs.
Geodis strengthens French logistics
Geodis signed an agreement with Deret SAS on 30 September to acquire a significant part of the group’s French contract logistics and transport operations. The transaction includes Deret Logistique, Deret Transporteur, Sogipac, Logtex and Deret Services Numériques, together with the main logistics properties associated with these businesses. The perimeter comprises 28 logistics sites, 13 transport branches and 2,400 employees. The businesses concerned are reported to have generated around €300 million in revenue in 2025, while the purchase price has not been disclosed. The network is centred on the Orléans and Saran area, where Deret has developed operations serving particularly the luxury, cosmetics and healthcare sectors. For Geodis, the agreement will increase warehousing capacity in France and enable greater integration of transport, storage, order preparation and distribution. The acquisition does not cover the entire Deret group and the final perimeter of the properties to be transferred has not yet been detailed. The transaction has also not yet been completed: it remains subject to consultation with employee representative bodies and approval by the relevant competition authorities.
Flydubai launches cargo flights
Flydubai launched dedicated cargo operations on 1 October with three Boeing 737-800F aircraft wet-leased from SolitAir, adding freighter services to the belly-hold capacity of its passenger aircraft. The operational base is Dubai’s Al Maktoum airport, from where the aircraft can carry up to 23 tonnes per flight. The initial network focuses on regional connections, with Doha, Karachi and Sulaymaniyah operating from 1 October, followed by Kuwait City and Erbil. A weekly Dubai-Kabul-Delhi service is also scheduled from 10 October, followed by a Dubai-Chennai-Hanoi-Delhi rotation from 19 October. The freighters will be used for both scheduled and charter services, with capacity also available for express shipments, e-commerce, temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals, perishables, aerospace components, live animals and dangerous goods. The agreement with SolitAir allows Flydubai to use aircraft, crews, maintenance and insurance provided by its partner. The airline also plans to assess the conversion of its own passenger aircraft into freighters from 2029.
Atlas robot improves manipulation
Boston Dynamics has unveiled a new generation of hands for Atlas, the electric humanoid designed for industrial applications. The new system uses four fingers and 13 degrees of freedom, compared with seven in the previous generation, allowing the robot not only to grasp objects but also to reposition and reorient them within the hand. The thumb has four degrees of freedom, while each of the other three fingers has three. Removing the little finger is intended to reduce size, energy consumption, cost and mechanical complexity without compromising the identified industrial tasks. Direct actuation and tactile pressure sensors on the fingers and palm allow the robot to control contact with objects and recover its grip if an item begins to slip. Demonstrated capabilities include precision grips, component manipulation and the use of trigger-operated tools. The hand is also designed to facilitate the transfer to the physical robot of skills learned in simulation. The industrial objective is to handle variable tasks such as component sequencing, parts with different orientations and tool use at workstations designed for human operators. Hyundai’s programme envisages deploying Atlas for component sequencing from 2028 and for assembly from 2030.
