The president of the PS/Azores, Francisco César, is calling for the creation of a new administration exclusively dedicated to SATA Air Açores. This proposal, he says, has already been submitted to the Regional Government and has been well received by the unions.

“We need an administration focused on regional operations, crew management, fleet renewal, and the reorganization of what is the foundation of the SATA group,” Francisco César said yesterday.

The leader of the Socialists in the Azores was speaking on the sidelines of a round of meetings he held in recent days with unions linked to the aviation sector.

Francisco César assured that the PS is available to assume part of the political responsibility for this solution, within the framework of a parliamentary agreement. “SATA and inter-island mobility are above party differences. 

And it is in this spirit that we have been working,“ he stressed.

Regarding Azores Airlines (SATA Internacional), he stressed the need for privatization but rejected a scenario of insolvency. ”Raising this possibility harms SATA, affects workers, passengers, and the future of the company itself,” he said.

Francisco César defended the urgency of legal guarantees in the privatization process. “Without these guarantees, we cannot move forward. But when they exist, we will be available to collaborate,” he assured.

Last week, in the Azorean Parliament, the regional secretary for finance, Duarte Freitas, said that the government remains committed to the privatization of Azores Airlines, also opening up the possibility of direct negotiations, but stated that if the process is not successful, the only alternative is insolvency, which he estimated could cost the region’s coffers €300 million.

Francisco César put the figure at €1 billion. “SATA, after more than €400 million in public injections and five years of restructuring, continues to accumulate losses and could end up costing Azorean taxpayers €1 billion. The operation is in crisis, and the people of the Azores feel this in their daily lives, with flights constantly delayed, canceled, or overbooked,” he said after a working meeting with the Ponta Delgada Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the leader of the PS/Azores also addressed the financial situation in the Azores. “We are entering a critical phase. The region’s financial debt has grown again, despite the regional government having received authorization to take out loans worth €75 million specifically to pay suppliers. Even so, the debt to suppliers has increased by another €57 million. This is a clear sign of lack of control,” he said.

Francisco César also warned of what he considers to be the slow pace of implementation of the PRR (Recovery and Resilience Plan), which in 2024 was 19%.

“Of the more than €84 million implemented so far, only €2 million has actually reached companies. By May this year, the region had collected only €20 million, when the minimum expected was €80 million. This is a serious drop, which confirms our concerns,” he stressed.

“We are normalizing non-compliance in the Azores. The government does not pay, does not execute, and still refuses to face reality. It insists on blaming the past, when it has been in power for five years and has failed to deliver results,” lamented the president of the PS/A.

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.