The Regional Secretary for Transport and Public Works stated in Ponta Delgada that the Operation Plan presented today by the regional airline "clearly demonstrates" the commitment of Azores Airlines to the Region by turning the Azores into "a hub between Europe, North America and Macaronesia."
 
Vítor Fraga spoke at the presentation of the Operation Plan of Azores Airlines for the IATA Summer 2017, stressing that this commitment is visible in the offer of flights. According to him, this "goes beyond the impositions on the routes subject to Public Service Obligations in an effort to match supply to demand in most routes and search for the development of new business opportunities."
 
For the government official, the commitment "to the Azores and the Azoreans is reflected in the provision of 1,308,957 seats on the routes to and from the Region in 2017, i.e., an increase of 355 thousand seats that will further improve accessibility to the Region."
 
"This commitment is also reflected in the new products presented at the session, which will certainly contribute to the strengthening and development of our economy. With the growth in the number of passengers in the Region, they will certainly consume our products, thus contributing to the development of activity sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and services," said Vítor Fraga.
 
In his speech, the Regional Secretary recalled that the Government will "set the policy for the sector" and, as a shareholder, "the macro objectives for the company." In turn, "the management team and its employees will define and implement concrete steps to reach these goals."
 
"The Government of the Azores reaffirms its commitment to Grupo SATA so that it may continue with its role as a strategic tool for the development of the Region. As has been repeatedly stated, we intend to keep it in the regional public sphere," said Vítor Fraga.
 
The Regional Secretary also stressed that the Regional Government counts on the support of "Azores Airlines, Grupo SATA and its employees, whether there are here or anywhere in the world, to carry out a better job that meets the expectations of all those who travel with Azores Airlines."
 
Vítor Fraga also recalled that, recently, the Government moved forward "the most important reform ever made to air transport in the Region, either by defining and implementing a new accessibility model or by stipulating new Public Service Obligations in inter-island transport."
 
"Resistance to change, typical in deep transformation processes, is always present. However, the numbers speak for themselves and demonstrate the success of the measures that have been implemented," added the government official.
 
In this regard, he added that "the number of passengers landed at regional airports is expected to be reach 1.3 million in 2016, i.e., a growth of 400 thousand passengers landed at regional airports in the Region compared to 2014 "(the year prior to the implementation of the new accessibility model). This represents "a growth of about 45%."
 
Nevertheless, Vítor Fraga pointed out that "the process not only served this purpose but also strengthened Grupo SATA, as evidenced in the presentations held today."
 
For the Regional Secretary, we are "clearly living a new reality marked by a new regulatory framework" that is "more demanding and dynamic" and "stimulates competition."
 
"As we have always believed, Grupo SATA has positively responded to the challenges posed by this new reality due to the skills, competence and determination of its management team and employees," said Vítor Fraga.