A meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. next Monday, October 13, in Lisbon concerning the privatization of Azores Airlines, as confirmed by a source familiar with the process.
The same source stated that this is the “only scheduled meeting” between the parties involved in the privatization process, despite other potential dates being considered previously.
The meeting was requested by the chairman of the airline’s privatization committee, Augusto Mateus, and will include the participation of SATA’s administration and the Newtour/MS Aviation consortium, the sole contender admitted to the process.
An official from Newtour/MS Aviation confirmed that the consortium is “committed” to working towards reaching an agreement on the privatization of Azores Airlines.
“The consortium remains committed to negotiations and continues to work towards a solution for SATA,” the official assured.
On September 30, the Secretary of Finance, Planning, and Public Administration announced that the privatization committee requested “a few more days” to finalize the process and give the consortium “another chance.”
“The chairman of the committee wants to give another chance to reach an understanding. We respect this, naturally, as we have relied on the decisive participation and credibility of the committee, which now seeks to close this process with the additional time requested,” added Duarte Freitas.
At that time, the regional secretary indicated that the committee intended to schedule a meeting by the end of the week with the company’s management and the Newtour/MS Aviation consortium.
The official acknowledged there was an “expectation” to have a “firm proposal or the final outcome of the process” by the end of September but respected the actions of the committee led by Augusto Mateus.
On September 9, the Secretary of Finance committed to presenting a proposal for the privatization of Azores Airlines by the end of the month, warning that if this did not occur, the options would be “private negotiation” or the closure of the company.
In June 2022, the European Commission approved Portuguese state aid to support the airline’s restructuring with loans and state guarantees totaling 453.25 million euros, which included measures such as restructuring the organization’s structure and divesting a controlling stake (51%).
