The president of the Azores Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) assured today that the executive is “cohesive” and reiterated his confidence in the entire government team, after the CDS-PP criticized the Secretary of Transport, Tourism, and Mobility.

“The Government is cohesive and party activity is what it is. The Government is doing what it should do,” José Manuel Bolieiro told reporters at the Regional Assembly in Horta, on the sidelines of the discussion of the 2026 Budget.

On Monday, the CDS-PP’s Terceira Political Commission expressed its “strongest indignation” at the “absolutely shameless” way in which SATA did not consider the island in its Christmas flight reinforcement. That body, led by Artur Lima, who is also vice president of the Regional Government and president of the CDS-PP/Azores, accused the Secretary of Transport, Tourism, and Mobility, Berta Cabral, of “penalizing the people of Terceira and promoting divisions within a region that wants to be cohesive and united.”

In response, the president of the Azores Government said he had “full confidence” in the “maturity” of the decisions taken by all members of the executive. “I have full confidence, not only in our maturity regarding the decisions we make, but also in government policy and the independence of the management of companies in the Regional Public Business Sector, as well as in the cohesion and personal trust I have in all members of the Government,” he reiterated. Bolieiro assured that there is “absolute consensus” within the Regional Government regarding the “objectives defined in the Government Program” in relation to SATA.

In the Azores Government, the CDS-PP holds the vice-presidency (Artur Lima) and the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action (Alonso Miguel), and the PPM holds the Secretariat for Parliamentary Affairs and Communities (Paulo Estêvão).

In the statement, the CDS-PP/Terceira argues that the regional secretary for Transport “does not have much sympathy for Terceira, but this personal preference does not give her the right to repeatedly penalize the people of Terceira and promote divisions within a region that wants to be cohesive and united.”

“SATA is not owned by Berta Cabral. And the Azores are, and must always be, much more than São Miguel,” the party states.

For the centrists, “in view of the company’s financial results, the failure of a strategy that insists on concentrating the mobility of Azoreans in São Miguel, amputating Terceira’s role in regional cohesion, is proven.”

On December 13, Azores Airlines and SATA Air Açores announced the reinforcement of their air operations during the Christmas and New Year season, providing passengers with “greater flexibility and travel options,” it was announced today.

“This reinforcement covers connections between mainland Portugal (Porto and Lisbon) and the Azores archipelago (Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Faial, and Pico) and between the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores, between December 8 and January 4, with a greater incidence between December 20 and January 4,” SATA said at the time.

In Açores 9-Paulo Melo, director

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