The CCIAH has appealed to the Regional Secretary of Tourism, Mobility, and Infrastructure, Berta Cabral, to intervene and ensure the restoration of equity in the distribution of air connections among all islands urgently, stated the business association in a statement.
On November 13, Grupo SATA announced that Azores Airlines and SATA Air Açores would be increasing services during the Christmas and New Year period, adding 5,000 seats on routes to the Azores and 3,500 seats on inter-island connections.
This expansion includes connections between the Portuguese mainland (Porto and Lisbon) and the Azores archipelago (Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria, Faial, and Pico) and between the Madeira and Azores archipelagos, from December 8 to January 4, with a focus on the period from December 20 to January 4, the company stated in a press release.
The association representing entrepreneurs from the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, and Graciosa expressed “deep indignation” at the exclusion of Terceira—the only one of the five islands with external connections from the archipelago—from this capacity increase.
“There is no operational, economic, or strategic justification for this decision, which penalizes the second-largest economy in the Azores and compromises the mobility of families and businesses,” said the association in a statement.
The CCIAH accused SATA of “promoting division within the region by treating citizens unequally who should have the same mobility rights irrespective of the island they reside on.”
“Entrepreneurs on Terceira Island have made significant investments in tourism development in recent years, fully playing their part in establishing the island as a credible and competitive destination. A public company like SATA should not limit this effort, destroy value, and hinder the economic growth that the private initiative has promoted with determination,” it emphasized.
The business association alleges a “centralization of flights to São Miguel island,” implemented by the current administration of SATA, which not only disadvantages other islands but also “represents an evident increase in the operational costs of the company and hinders the mobility of all Azoreans, creating an unbalanced and inefficient transport model.”
“It is increasingly difficult not to conclude that there is a stance from the company that conveys a clear sense of misunderstood pride and a persistent intent to specifically disadvantage Terceira Island,” it pointed out.
“The widespread sentiment among businessmen, institutions, and citizens is that Terceira has been subjected to discriminatory and repetitive actions, incompatible with the public, regional, and integrative mission that SATA is obliged to fulfill,” it added.
