On Monday, the CDS-PP’s Third Political Commission expressed its “most vehement outrage” at SATA’s “absolutely unashamed” omission of the island of Terceira in the Christmas flight reinforcement plan.
Led by Artur Lima, who is also the vice-president of the Regional Government and leader of CDS-PP, the commission accused the Secretary of Transport, Tourism, and Mobility, Berta Cabral, of “penalizing the people of Terceira and fostering divisions within a region that aims to be cohesive and united”.
In a statement today, SATA reaffirmed its “commitment to the air mobility of residents in the Azores archipelago” and assured that operational decisions “are made based on demand criteria, operational feasibility, and financial balance”.
The airline stated that “it was within this framework that around 3,500 additional seats were added to inter-island connections operated by SATA Air Açores and 5,000 seats on territorial connections operated by Azores Airlines for the Christmas and New Year period”.
Regarding the exclusive offer for the island of Terceira, Azores Airlines has seven weekly connections between Lisbon and Lajes (Terceira) and three weekly connections between Porto and Lajes.
“So far, this offer has been sufficient, given existing reservations and the anticipated demand,” SATA said, adding that further reinforcement is possible “if demand indicates it”.
In the reinforcement of inter-island connections, the island of Terceira “has the largest increase in flights during the festive season, with 14 extra flights adding 1,304 additional seats between December 19 and January 4,” according to the group.
Today, the President of the Azores Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) assured that the executive is “cohesive” and reiterated confidence in the entire government lineup after CDS-PP’s criticism of the Secretary of Transport, Tourism, and Mobility.
“The Government is cohesive and party activity is what it is. The Government is doing what it should do,” stated José Manuel Bolieiro to journalists at the Regional Assembly in Horta, on the sidelines of the discussion of the 2026 Budget.
