In a statement released today, the Regional Secretariat for the Environment, Tourism and Culture indicates that it sent a letter to the chairman of TAP's board of directors, Luís Rodrigues, expressing the island executive's dissatisfaction with the €30 increase per leg on the Madeira/Lisbon and Madeira/Porto routes during that period "without any prior notice".

The Secretariat says that TAP already charged an additional fee during peak periods, which penalizes those who need to travel during those times, emphasizing that with this newly decided increase, "just in taxes, on a flight in fare Y (the highest in economy class) which costs 296 euros per leg (one-way tickets), the cost will be 419.62 euros (Funchal-Lisbon) and 418.82 euros (Lisbon-Funchal)."

“These prices, completely unjustified for travel within the national territory, are already above the maximum eligible cost under the Social Mobility Subsidy (SSM) applicable to round-trip or ‘one-way’ tickets for residents of the RAM [Autonomous Region of Madeira] and displaced students, overburdening not only the State coffers, through the SSM, but also the budget of the passengers themselves, who will thus have to bear the amounts in addition to the value covered by the SSM,” the supervisory body emphasizes in the official letter.

The Regional Secretariat for the Environment, Tourism and Culture further adds that “this pricing policy clearly aims to curb national tourist demand corresponding to passengers not entitled to any subsidy, nullifying the promotional efforts that this region undertakes in this market, especially regarding the end-of-year festivities, one of the biggest tourist attractions of this region.”

“Furthermore, the commercial decision was made without any prior notice, penalizing many passengers who had already purchased tickets through travel agents, who, having confirmed reservations based on the previous fares, are now forced to charge additional amounts beyond those agreed with their clients at the time of ticket issuance,” laments the Regional Secretariat.

The supervisory body, therefore, appeals to TAP to reverse the decision, arguing that it “severely penalizes the mobility of all those who wish to travel to Madeira during the Christmas/New Year period, clearly compromising TAP's image in this market, with negative future consequences for all parties.”

“In addition to the letter sent to TAP, the Regional Secretariat has also initiated efforts with the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, and the Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Hugo Espírito Santo, to ensure that this situation is reversed immediately,” the same note indicates.