SATA ground handling dispute puts inter-island links in focus

SITAVA and SINTAC announced on 29 September that they intend to hold several strike periods involving SATA ground handling workers. The announcement is part of their opposition to the privatisation of SATA Handling. The unions have not given dates for the stoppages, so it is not yet possible to say when flight operations might be affected.

The dispute concerns the plan to separate and sell the ground handling service. The unions say they were told, while taking part in a Regional Government working group, that a full sale was required by the European Commission. They now argue that the sale was proposed by the shareholder and decided by the Portuguese authorities. That is the unions’ account; the reports reviewed do not include a Regional Government response to this claim.

Union representatives say the future relationship between SATA Air Açores and a private ground handling operator needs particular scrutiny. The airline serves the islands under public service obligations, while ground handling supports aircraft operations at airports. The unions fear that separating the two could raise the airline’s costs, particularly when weather repeatedly disrupts schedules.

The privatisation process has already reached a stage in which potential buyers are being assessed. On 26 September, SATA said 11 entities had met the participation requirements and had been invited to submit non-binding proposals by 21 October. A later stage is expected to select participants who may submit binding offers.

The strike announcement brings a labour dispute into a decision that could matter across the archipelago. Air services are central to travel between the islands for residents and visitors, but no strike timetable or disruption resulting from this announcement has been confirmed. Passengers planning future journeys should follow SATA’s updates once details of any strike notices are published.