Regulatory reviews shape timetable for SATA group sales

The Azores government has asked the European Commission for more time to complete the sales of Azores Airlines and SATA Handling. Completion could move into 2027, with regulatory opinions still required. RTP Açores reports that the government is aiming to conclude the processes in the first quarter of next year.

Regional finance secretary Duarte Freitas discussed the timetable at a hearing of the Regional Assembly's economy committee on the proposed 2027 plan and budget. He said opinions were needed from Portugal's National Civil Aviation Authority and Competition Authority, some of them binding, and that their timing was outside the government's control.

For Azores Airlines, SATA's management has invited five bidders to submit binding offers by 9 December 2026. The group says the candidates' identities will be disclosed at that stage. The other sale concerns SATA Handling, which is involved in airport ground handling.

The Azores Airlines sale was originally due by the end of 2025 under the restructuring plan approved by the European Commission, but the deadline was extended to the end of 2026. RTP Açores reported a financial penalty linked to a second failure to meet the timetable and said the government was negotiating to avoid a fine. Freitas said the government wanted to prevent penalties if a further delay occurred.

Freitas argued that, without the sales, the group would have to repay the aid it had received, putting its continued operation at risk. He added that proceeds from the privatisations would go to SATA Holding, the parent company of the group.

The outcome matters to residents and businesses that rely on air links and airport services across the archipelago. Freitas also defended the restructuring as a way to protect SATA Air Açores, the airline responsible for flights between the islands.