The Union of Aviation and Airport Workers (Sitava) today called on the Regional Government of the Azores to “immediately stop” the privatization of Azores Airlines, after the tender jury expressed reservations about the only bidder.
In a statement, the union recalled that “the jury set up to evaluate the privatization process of Azores Airlines delivered the final report on the process last Friday”, having maintained “its position already expressed in the preliminary report”.
In other words, he pointed out, “only one of the consortiums that competed was maintained” and even that “does not have the minimum conditions to guarantee the company’s continued operation”.
Sitava also recalled that “the chairman of the jury went even further”, admitting “reservations about the consortium’s financial capacity to guarantee the company’s future viability”.
The union believes that “handing the company over to this entity would be a real disaster”.
“It therefore seems obvious to us that with the delivery of this report and especially with its outcome, this process will have to stop immediately,” he said, pointing out: “the traumatic experience we went through should serve as an example so that it doesn’t happen again.”
“We now call on the regional government to stop the process immediately,” said the union, arguing that “recognizing a mistake and reversing the trajectory does not weaken the government”.
The jury of the public tender for the privatization of Azores Airlines maintained its decision to accept only one bidder in the final report, but admitted reservations about the ability of the Newtour/MS Aviation consortium to ensure the company’s viability.
“We have delivered the final report. This final report essentially maintains what was already in the preliminary report,” said the president of the jury, Augusto Mateus, at a press conference at the Teatro Micaelense in Ponta Delgada last week.
The jury maintained the score that had been awarded to Newtour/MS Aviation (46.69), the only competitor admitted, and which was contested by the consortium when it presented its interim report in October 2023.
“In the specifications, a positive score starts at 25 and the maximum score is 100. The score we gave the proposal is 46.69. You can see that 46.69 is closer to 25 than to 100. It’s not a very significant score. We would draw attention to that,” he said.
The specifications for the privatization of Azores Airlines provide for the sale of a “minimum” of 51% and a “maximum” of 85% of the company’s share capital.
