An official source from the European Commission explains that “the classification was based on the capacity of seats at Lisbon airport offered using the slots of appeal during the period 2022-2025”.

“The airline that offers the largest seating capacity would be ranked first to receive these slots, which are take-off and landing slots”, the source adds.

The same official source notes that “the Commission ranked the proposals submitted by airlines that met the eligibility criteria and were considered credible from an operational and financial point of view and with regard to EU competition law”.

Asked about the next steps, the institution told Lusa that “it will have to approve the slot transfer agreement before its signature”.

The other airline that competed for the TAP slots was also the low cost airline Ryanair, which on Monday told Lusa agency that it was the "most reliable" candidate compared to easyJet.

However Brussels had a different understanding and instead went with easyJet.