The Azorean airline announced today that the strike by workers of the Portuguese Institute of Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) led to the cancellation of 42 flights on Friday, affecting approximately 3,000 people.
“The SATA group management will take legal action to be compensated for the damages caused by this strike and for the non-compliance with minimum services,” the company stated.
The cancellation of several flights “severely compromised the mobility of Azoreans.”
“Access to essential services, including healthcare, was hampered, and fundamental public service obligations were violated,” it noted.
According to the statement, on August 8, “the presidency of the IPMA confirmed to the SATA group management that the minimum services were guaranteed, but this did not occur.”
“The situation is particularly serious not only because of the non-compliance but also because it prevented the company from adopting adequate preventive measures, as the IPMA did not inform in a timely manner that the minimum services would not be effectively fulfilled,” it said.
SATA Air Açores, responsible for inter-island connections, stated that “all efforts are being made to restore operational normality today, with several extra flights scheduled to minimize the impact on passengers.”
