Portugal's civil aviation pilots' union (Sindicato dos Pilotos da Aviação Civil - SPAC) has warned of lingering issues at Azores Airlines (S4, Ponta Delgada), accusing the airline's leadership of mismanaging the company.
It claims there are “serious and recurring failures in the operation of SATA Azores Airlines” that could negatively impact operational safety, the economic news site ECO reported. The union alleges that the carrier is experiencing disorganisation in crew planning and slot management, noting that it is increasingly relying on ACMI capacity.
Azores Airlines responded to SPAC's accusations, saying that "the administration does not agree with the criticisms presented." It told ch-aviation that the current management, which was appointed in July 2024, had ended two ACMI deals which it viewed as "an important step toward enhancing efficiency, optimising resources, and complying with the European Commission’s restructuring plan."
The airline is currently utilising ACMI capacity due to external problems, it noted, such as "bird strikes at Ponta Delgada and issues related to ground handling services. These incidents, which were external to our operations, have been managed under strict oversight, and the management team is actively pursuing appropriate compensation for the resulting damages and financial impacts."
According to ch-aviation fleets data, the airline is currently wet-leasing two A320-200s, OY-RUH (msn 6749) from DAT (Lithuania) and CS-TSY (msn 2430) from White.
The pilots' union is also dissatisfied with leadership changes, mainly in the flight operations and training and education departments, adding that the appointments of managers was conducted "without objective and transparent criteria". The company responded by expressing confidence in the competence and professionalism of its employees.
Financial clarity
In addition, SPAC cast doubt on Azores Airlines' financial situation, calling on the airline to publish its consolidated accounts for 2024. The union claims that the lack of precise indicators about the company's financial situation "undermines the transparency" of the privatisation process.
The company responded to ch-aviation: "Upon the finalisation of the 2024 activities and accounts, the financial reports of Grupo SATA will undergo formal procedures, including initial presentation to the General Assembly and the Regional Assembly, as required for publicly owned companies. Once these formalities are completed, the final reports will be published, as is done every year."
Azores Airlines added that the negotiations regarding the privatisation are still ongoing and that it would not provide more information on the matter until that process is concluded.
ch-aviation asked SPAC for comment, but it was not immediately available.
The carrier currently operates three A320-200s, two A320-200Ns, two A321-200Ns, and three A321-200NX(LR)s. Regional affiliate SATA Air Acores operates two DHC-8-Q200s and five DHC-8-Q400s.
