The corona pandemic has put the Azores regional airline Sata under considerable pressure. You also have one or two problems with subsidies that were paid in the past. Now one wants to support the carrier with the help of a capital increase.
The Azores belonging to Portugal are dependent on air traffic to the mainland, but this has never been particularly profitable and the corona pandemic did not exactly improve the situation. Nevertheless, the connection of the islands to the mainland and the capital Lisbon is of great importance. However, for some airlines it does not fit in with the fact that Sata and Azores Airlines have repeatedly received subsidies in the past that went beyond the usual PSO subsidies.
In any case, the regional government of the Azores wants to hold on to air traffic between the islands and the mainland. Sata's complicated financial situation is to be eliminated through a capital increase. According to the Portuguese news agency Lusa, the continuation of Sata and its sister Azores Airlines will have a high priority.