Chega demands completion of the privatization of Azores Airlines by the end of the year

Stating that "the privatization of Azores Airlines has not yet reached an outcome", the leader of Chega/Açores, José Pacheco, demanded that "by the end of this year the process reaches a conclusion" because, "if this does not happen, Azores Airlines will have to go into insolvency", revealed the party in a statement.

Chega/Açores' position was released following a working meeting between José Pacheco and the President of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro (PSD), to prepare the Plan and Budget for 2026.

According to the statement, in addition to the Azores Airlines issue, José Pacheco also addressed the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the fire at the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES) and the option for the modular hospital.

Chega/Açores showed itself to be "truly concerned about the lack of transparency" following the fire at the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, the largest in the Azores, and the "political choice" for the modular hospital, "instead of investing in the existing hospital structure that would have the capacity to open its doors shortly after the fire".

At the meeting, José Pacheco defended an "executable" Regional Budget and urged the PSD/CDS-PP/PPM coalition executive to move forward with the proposals already presented by the party and approved in the Budget, some of which are already being implemented.

"This is a way for Chega to understand whether the Regional Government intends to comply with what was approved in the Budget", the party argued, adding that it is aware of "a lot of support that has not arrived, of payments that are late".

"Therefore, it is essential that the next Budget is real and concrete, with measures that really help the Azoreans and that are fulfilled", reads the statement.

On June 11, Chega/Açores announced that it will schedule, for the July plenary session, an urgent debate on Azores Airlines so that clarifications can be provided regarding the financial situation, viability and privatization process of the airline, the party revealed.

The objective is to "clarify the present and future" of Azores Airlines, taking into account "the accumulated losses" and the company's privatization process, whose public tender was launched in March 2023, but which "is at a standstill", with "advances and setbacks".

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