“The government’s reaction is very grave: deep down, it tells us that the private sector, Ryanair, is responsible for informing the Azoreans, but Ryanair doesn’t speak for the Regional Government. This is the Regional Government’s responsibility. It’s the Regional Government who has an obligation to clear the air with Azoreans,” Vasco Cordeiro stated, cited in a press release.

On Monday, Azores Government president José Manuel Bolieiro confirmed the executive branch (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) “did what had to be done” to maintain Ryanair’s operation to the archipelago, rejecting to react to “circumstantial comments.”

On Thursday, the tutelage’s regional secretary, Berta Cabral, revealed that there’s an agreement with Ryanair to not completely abandon the region, and was said to hope the company “honours the compromise” the executives agreed to, which translates to a reduction in flights from Winter onwards.

On the site, however, Ryanair doesn’t have any flights available between the islands of São Miguel and Terceira with continental Portugal from November.

The Azorean socialist leader considers the Regional Government to “reveal a total disrespect for Azoreans” by not revealing the terms of the deal with the air carrier.

Vasco Cordeiro accuses the regional executives of having transformed into “the government of cover-ups, lack of transparency, and of handwashing.”

“On this subject, it’s the Regional Government who has the responsibility to clear up Azoreans’ doubts so as to be able to know effectively what’s coming in the future, but up until now, through this whole process, we’ve carried on with no one knowing,” the PS/Azores parliamentary leader stresses.

The socialist, who led the Regional Government between 2012 and 2020, once again “challenged” the Azorean government, divulging the deal’s contents, as well as the “number of flights and their frequencies to the islands of Terceira and São Miguel” and the “numerous work posts, directly or indirectly, that remain” in the Ryanair operation.

On Monday, Bolieiro reinforced the idea that there was an understanding between the Azores Government and the airline but rejected to comment on the “froth of today,” considering the need to “understand the autonomous decisions of private companied.”

On Saturday, PS/Azores leader Vasco Cordeiro had already demanded explanations by the Regional Government on the deal with the Irish airline, considering the topic was too important to be treated with “half-truths.”

On August 17th, the Azores Industry and Commerce Council (CCIA) considered the Regional Government might have to take an “incisive attitude” about “the threat of abandonment” of Ryanair in the region, emphasising the weight of tourism on the local economy.

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