The chairwoman of the board of directors of the SATA Group, Teresa Gonçalves, who had recently visited California, has resigned for “personal reasons,” a decision already accepted by the regional government.
This resignation comes a few days after the final report of the jury of the bid for the privatization of Azores Airlines (SATA Internacional), which selected the Newtour/MS Aviation consortium but with reservations.
“We can only recommend that they delve deeper, gather as much information as possible, and follow no other path than that which has been explained: the safety and quality of the decision,” said the jury chairman, Augusto Mateus, last Friday.
Teresa Gonçalves will remain in her post, which she took up in March last year, until the end of this month. She has been part of the group’s management since January 2020, as part of the team led by Luís Rodrigues, TAP’s current CEO. Dinis Modesto, chief financial officer, is also leaving.
The decision was announced yesterday at a meeting with employees.
Interviewed yesterday by Antena 1/Açores, the regional secretary for Finance, Planning, and Public Administration, Duarte Freitas, said that “all the issues involving the SATA group are delicate and important for the region” and that “unfortunately, over the last few years, what we have been facing concerning the SATA group are difficulties after difficulties”.
“We have been able to overcome them. This one, of course, will also be overcome,” he assured.
Duarte Freitas thanked Teresa Gonçalves for her work “in difficult times.”
Pedro Castro, a specialist in civil aviation, argues that the departure of the group’s president and chief financial officer is a loss for SATA.

“These are two fundamental departures and they mean something. Generally, when the CEO and CFO, two key members of the board of directors, resign, it can be caused by or at least signal the existence of internal problems, or financial challenges, or a disagreement with the strategic direction desired by the shareholder,” he said.
“One thing is certain. There will be a period of great instability at the top of the group,” he said, speaking to Antena 1/Açores, which “is not good for a group with a company in the process of being privatized.”
“It’s a privatization without direction or support,” said the expert. “It’s not a good time, especially knowing that, in the midst of this whole process, there is a request from some unions and businessmen from the Azores, all a bit contrary to the movement that the shareholder (Regional Government) wants to conclude,” he said.
The specifications for the privatization of Azores Airlines establish a sale of between 51 and 85% of the company’s share capital.

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

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