The president of the SATA administration, Rui Coutinho, has resigned from his position, as announced today by the Azores government, which will appoint the financial director, Tiago Santos, as the head of the aviation group.
“The chairman of SATA’s board of directors sent us a letter requesting his resignation. This is not surprising, as stated in the letter, we had made, at the time of his appointment and acceptance, an understanding that the objective was: to complete the process of divesting the share capital for the privatization of Azores Airlines and the restructuring process, which also involves ‘handling,'” stated José Manuel Boleiro.
The president of the Azorean government spoke to journalists in Lajes das Flores, during a statutory visit by the regional executive to the island of Flores.
According to the official, “this mission was accepted by Dr. Rui Coutinho,” whom he took the opportunity to “thank for his work and dedication” at SATA.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to conclude, although they are well underway, the restructuring processes of the SATA group with him [Rui Coutinho], but the truth is that he has other professional commitments from January 2026,” he added.
Bolieiro stated that the decision of the Regional Government “was to accept, recognize the work carried out, and thank him for his compliance.”
To “disrupt the circumstances as little as possible,” the executive will appoint the current financial director of SATA, Tiago Santos, as the future chairman of the board of directors.
According to the official, “the defined course for the restructuring of the SATA group will be maintained, and, also, right away, communication to the European Commission regarding the need for an extension of the defined deadline.”
José Manuel Boleiro admitted that with this course, “there will be no disruptions” and hopes that “there really won’t be” in the Azorean airline.
“It is what I can assume and renew my thanks to the mission carried out by Dr. Rui Coutinho,” he concluded.
The Azores government today thanked the outgoing president of SATA for his contribution to the “reinforcement of stability” of the group and expressed confidence in the work of the future chairman of the board, Tiago Santos.
In the first official reaction after the leadership changes at SATA were made known, the Azores executive confirmed, through a statement, the departure of Rui Coutinho, recognizing “the work carried out during his tenure.”
A source from the Azores government told Lusa agency that Rui Coutinho cited a professional invitation for the management of Funchal airport in his resignation request.
Rui Coutinho was appointed president of SATA in June 2024 following the departure of Teresa Gonçalves, who resigned on April 9 of the previous year and had replaced Luís Rodrigues in April 2023.
Tiago Santos, who joined the SATA administration in July 2024, is an economist and was a member of the board of directors and financial director of Metropolitano de Lisboa, Carris, Transtejo, and Soflusa between 2015 and 2016, positions also held at the company Oitante, between 2016 and 2018.
This change in the SATA administration occurs at a time when the process of privatizing Azores Airlines, the group company responsible for connections between the Azores and abroad, is underway.
The consortium Atlantic Connect Group submitted a proposal on November 24 for 17 million euros for 85% of the share capital of Azores Airlines, and the Azores government requested the European Commission to extend the privatization deadline to December 31, 2026.
The proposal is currently being reviewed by the tender jury, led by economist Augusto Mateus.
[News updated at 1:52 PM]
