At a hearing of the Infrastructure, Mobility, and Housing Committee, ANA Vieira da Mata, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the entity, indicated that ANAC is finalizing a model proposal to be presented shortly, according to PSD/Azores.
For the Azorean Social Democrat quoted in the statement, having an outcome that allows for stable change is important and should be independent of circumstantial will.
Paulo Moniz emphasized the necessity of creating conditions for the Santa Maria airport to operate at night permanently and by law.
“Not just for revenue when that decision is made, but because it will signal worldwide, particularly to private aviation scaling on that island, the existence of a site open at night and ready to provide support,” he explained.
According to the deputy, having the Santa Maria airport on the radar of airlines, marked on flight maps and programs, will gradually enable it to accommodate night flights again, offer support, generate revenue, and restore the importance of that Azorean aerospace cluster.
Paulo Moniz noted that there has been a strong investment in NAV concerning air traffic control, and also in space matters.
In his opinion, the opening of Santa Maria airport at night is an issue of utmost importance for the island, complementing the ecosystem linked to space and air traffic in the Azores’ context.
In October 2024, the same PSD/Azores deputy advocated for the nighttime opening of Santa Maria airport to the concessionaire ANA Vinci, considering the economic benefits for the island.
In a meeting with Thierry Ligonnière, CEO of the company in Portugal, the Social Democrat deemed the nighttime opening of Santa Maria airport crucial for operators to include that infrastructure on their layover radar.
“We discussed evaluating the constraints for this scenario, as ANA Vinci holds the airport concession, and the economic opportunities such an opening could bring to the island,” Paulo Moniz stated, as cited in a press release.
The Azores spaceport, on Santa Maria Island, obtained licensing in August to operate, with its first launch expected in spring 2026, nearly five years later than initially planned.
The license granted to the Azores spaceport is valid for five years and refers exclusively to the operation of the launch center located in Malbusca, on the Azorean island of Santa Maria, according to a joint statement by Anacom and the Portuguese Space Agency.
This marks the first license granted by Portugal for the operation of a spaceport.
