The order of the Ministries of Finance and Planning and Infrastructures refers to an addendum to a concession contract that expired on 22 December 2018 and will allow flights to continue until the end of the next tender launched for a new concession.

According to the government, “the only way to guarantee the continuity of the public service provided by this air route includes an addendum to the current contract extending it for the period strictly necessary for the conclusion of the public tender and cannot exceed six months.”

The air link betwen Bragança, Vila Real, Viseu, Tires (Cascais) and Portimão has been in force for three years, after the suspension of flights in 2012, with the government at the time trying to get the private sector to take the link without any state subsidy.

The model did not attract any interest and a tender was launched again for public service with the participation of about €7 million and the extension of the scales of the route that previously only connected Bragança/Vila Real/Lisbon.

The concession agreement with the operator Aerovip/Sevenair ended on 22 December and the government launched a new public tender on 4 December 2018, with a 60-day deadline for the interested parties to submit proposals, which is still underway.

The addendum now officialised seeks to ensure the service during the transitional period until the new contract, which will add one year to the concession, from three to four years.

The state subsidy also increases from €7 million to €10 million.