"The flow [of bookings] is decreasing by around 20%," ALA president João Pinheiro told Lusa, noting that after the departure of the low-cost airline Ryanair from the Azores, "the number of bookings is low."

According to João Pinheiro, unlike in previous years, it is not felt that summer bookings "will save the year."

Therefore, he anticipated, there would be "many difficulties in closing the calendar, and companies will have problems with their accounts."

Also, according to the ALA president, the low-cost airline's departure from the region's air market "completely increased prices" for the Azores through the flag carriers [TAP and SATA].

Furthermore, he added, the removal of the maximum limit on the Mobility Subsidy "is influencing all travel prices to the Azores," making it "a prohibitive destination."

Created in 2015, the social mobility subsidy provides for a reimbursement to residents, equivalent residents, and students of the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, resulting from the difference between the eligible cost of the ticket, paid in full by the passenger at the time of purchase, and the maximum fare borne by the resident, defined by decree.

In September 2024, the Portuguese government, led by the Social Democrat Luís Montenegro, set a maximum limit of €600 per ticket for eligible access to the social mobility subsidy for passengers from the Azores, similar to what already existed in Madeira, where there was a limit of €400 (€500 for trips from Porto Santo Island).

This ceiling has now been eliminated, with the definition that the granting of the subsidy "implies the purchase and effective use of the ticket and corresponds to the payment of a variable amount without a maximum limit to the eligible cost of the ticket".

Ryanair also announced in 2025 the end of its operations to the Azores from the end of March, due to airport fees and European environmental taxation.

The Regional Government of the Azores tried, unsuccessfully, to get the company to maintain operations in the region, which began in 2015.