The disagreements between the Portuguese government and SATA continue to worsen. The company is demanding PSO subsidies for the operation of the routes between Lisbon and the Azores Islands. Otherwise the routes will be discontinued.

The connections from the capital to Pico, Faial and Santa Maria are affected. Due to the corona pandemic, these are in deficit, but SATA and the subsidiary Azores Airlines have another problem on their necks: the EU Commission downgraded one granted some time ago Aid as unlawful and demands repatriation.

Accordingly, the granting of corona aid for the two Azores carriers is extremely complicated. SATA is of the opinion that the island-mainland connection can no longer be maintained without PSO subsidies. The occupancy rate is very low due to the corona pandemic, which is particularly badly affecting the Lisbon region. The Azores Islands have come through the crisis relatively lightly so far.

In order to boost tourism, the islands of Santa Maria, Terceira, Pico, Faial, São Jorge, Graciosa, Corvo and Flores allow people who can provide evidence of a vaccination against Covid-19 to enter the country without quarantine. The test results are also comparatively lax.