Pilots support SATA administration’s opinion on the privatization of Azores Airlines

The Civil Aviation Pilots Union (SPAC) of Portugal welcomed this Monday, April 29th, the opinion of the SATA administration that recommends the annulment of the privatization process of Azores Airlines, reiterating the need for criteria of “more rigorous” selection.

“The Civil Aviation Pilots Union welcomed the recommendation of the SATA board of directors that defends the annulment of the privatization process of Azores Airlines”, reads a press release sent to the Portuguese news agency ‘Lusa’.

SPAC recalls that in November 2023 it expressed concern regarding the privatization process of Azores Airlines – responsible for connections outside the Azores archipelago – having sent an open letter to the administration of SATA and the Regional Government of the Azores, where it presented the reasons for his apprehension regarding “a safe and stable future for the company”.

Last week, SPAC once again highlighted that it expected “a negative opinion” from the SATA administration on the privatization of Azores Airlines, considering, among several other reasons, that “the Newtour/MS Aviation consortium has reputational gaps that would put into question the future of the Azorean company”.

For the union “Azores Airlines is for the Azores, as TAP is for the country” and “a company with great economic weight and importance for the Azorean archipelago cannot be called into question”.

Furthermore, adds SPAC, “around 80% to 90% of SATA passengers, which provides public transport services between the islands of the archipelago, come from Azores Airlines”.

“It is essential that more rigorous selection criteria are adopted in a new competition for the profile of future investors”, argues the Civil Aviation Pilots Union.

In this sense, and taking into account that the Regional Government “already has the opinion of the SATA board of directors in its hands”, SPAC says that it “awaits with anticipation the final decision of the Regional Government, which has the last word”.

The board of directors of the SATA group, which is resigning, has already sent its opinion on the Azores Airlines privatization process to the Regional Government, expressing “reservations about the ‘NewTour MS Aviation’ consortium and about the competitor’s limitations”.

The competition jury, led by economist Augusto Mateus, maintained the decision to accept only one competitor in the final report, but admitted reservations regarding the ability of the ‘Newtour MS Aviation’ consortium to ensure the company’s viability.

Last week, the regional secretary for Mobility, Berta Cabral, said that “the Government Council will decide and it will be soon”.