The European Commission has extended the deadlines for SATA and TAP to complete the asset disposals that constitute conditions for the restructuring aid granted by the Portuguese government.

At Portugal’s request, the Commission agreed to extend until 31 December 2026 the deadline for SATA to divest a majority stake (51%) in Azores Airlines and to sell its ground-handling business unit. These disposals are conditions for the approval of the restructuring aid granted by Portugal to SATA in June 2022.

With regard to TAP, the Commission extended the deadline until 30 June 2026 for the company to divest its stake in SPdH – Serviços Portugueses de Handling and in its catering business. This divestment is a condition for the approval of the restructuring aid granted by Portugal to TAP in December 2021.

In order to limit the negative effects of this extension on competition, Portugal has committed to reducing the amount of aid and to extending the measures necessary to safeguard competition until the full divestment of the assets is completed.

The non-confidential versions of the decisions will be published under references SA.62043 and SA.60165 in the State Aid Register on the website of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.

In Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director