The Government of the Azores conveyed on Friday its "bewilderment" to the Secretary of State of Transport and Communications for the decision of closing the Santa Maria airport overnight without prior hearing of regional entities.
 
Therefore, the Government of the Azores regrets "being surprised by a letter from ANA announcing the closure of Santa Maria airport in the period between 9:30 PM and 6:30 AM without being consulted on this matter. The decision does not take into account the importance of maintaining of the current timetable as well as the relevance of technical stops for the economy of Santa Maria."

For the Government of the Azores, the decision taken by the National Government "is regrettable, being another obstacle to the development of Santa Maria that adds to a pending situation concerning the transfer of land owned by ANA to the regional administration. In the meantime, the Government has called the attention for this situation several times."