TAP Portugal (Lisbon) could once again be put up for privatization during 2014, CEO Fernando Pinto has announced. Speaking at the recent Star Alliance meeting in Vienna, Mr Pinto said the Portuguese government should resume the process of off-loading the airline during the first quarter of next year. However, Mr Pinto expressed doubts as to whether Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) or British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) parent, the International Airlines Group (IAG), would acquire ownership of the carrier given their own financial problems. Lisbon's first attempt at privatizing TAP in late 2012 failed after sole bidder, Brazil's Synergy Aerospace, failed to provide the requisite financial guarantees. Synergy had bid EUR35million (USD46.5million) for TAP, and was to have invested EUR316million in the company while taking on its estimated EUR1.2billion debt. Synergy Aerospace also owns the majority of Avianca (Bogotá).