PS/Azores calls for transparency about stakeholders in Azores Airlines

O PS/Açores today considered “unacceptable” that the Regional Government (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) continues without revealing the identity of the companies that are interested in the privatisation of Azores Airlines.

“ The Azoreans have the right to know who the companies or entities intend to acquire Azores Airlines are. It is not understood that, after five proposals have been made, the names of the competitors will still not be disclosed”, said the parliamentary leader of the Azorean socialists, Berto Messias, quoted in a press release.

The PS/Açores argues that the position arises by the regional executive, in response to the clarifications requested by the party, not having identified “one entity” interested in the SATA Group’s airline.

For Berto Messias, the position of the Regional Government reveals “lack of transparency in a process of great importance for the future of the airline and for the Azoreans, since they still do not know the five entities that submitted non-binding proposals and the six that had been admitted to this stage of the procedure”.

According to the note, in the reply the executive “just refers” to the competences of the Board of Directors of SATA Holding, to whom it assigns the responsibility to decide on the disclosure of information relating to the procedure, invoking the need to protect the privatisation process.

The Regional Government “can’t seek to depart from its political responsibilities by referring all explanations to the administration of a public company owned by the region, when it was the executive himself who determined the opening of the privatisation process, approved the respective specifications and has supervisory powers over the procedure”.

The politician also considers that the answer does not clarify why the disclosure of the identity of the companies concerned could harm the procedure, when what is at stake is not the disclosure of confidential commercial or financial elements, but only the knowledge of the entities wishing to acquire the company.

Berto Messias recalls that in TAP's re-privatization process, the identity of the companies that submitted non-binding proposals was publicized, safeguarding the confidentiality of the negotiating elements.

“In the case of Azores Airlines, the Regional Government and SATA have to explain why they keep hiding from Azoreans who the competitors are,” he said.

The PS indicates that on September 24, it submitted a request to the Regional Government to identify the five entities that submitted non-binding proposals, the six who were invited to participate in this phase and the entity that did not submit a proposal.

In the reply dated 17 October, the Regional Government “did not identify any of these entities, referring the three questions to the competence of the Board of Directors of SATA Holding”.

The SATA administration invited five competitors to privatise Azores Airlines to submit binding proposals until December 9, when the candidates will be released, the Azorean aviation group announced this month.

“ Binding proposals should be submitted in accordance with and under the conditions set out in the Proceedings Order. On that occasion, SATA Holding will disclose the name of the candidates who will move to the final stage of the privatisation process”, said in a statement.

SATA’s president, Tiago Santos, told Lusa on October 15 that the disclosure of the five companies competing for the privatisation of Azores Airlines “would lead to losses” that the aviation group “cannot risk facing” at this stage of the process.

According to the restructuring plan approved by the European Commission, the specifications set out a “private negotiation” model for the privatisation of the airline, which will have to be completed by the end of the year.