"The STA today decided to reject the provisional injunction requested by the association Peço A Palavra, which was aimed at suspending the privatisation of TAP," the official said.


The tribunal had, the official said, rejected the group's argument that the government had not followed the correct procedures in its handling of the planned sale.


The decision was on Monday "made public" and serves to "reinforce the Portuguese government's conviction that the privatisation of TAP is a transparent process and fulfilled all the legal requirements," the official said.


The government last week announced that it had chosen a consortium controlled jointly by Humberto Pedrosa, founder of Portugal's largest coach company, and David Neeleman, a Brazilian-based entrepreneur.