Portimão-Bragança air link was suspended in October
There is still no date for the return of the Portimão-Bragança air link, which was suspended in October 2024 due to the State’s failure to fulfill payment obligations to the concessionaire.
This was confirmed on Tuesday by Carlos Amado, CEO of Sevenair, the air link operator, during a parliamentary hearing of the Committee on Economy, Public Works, and Housing.
The hearing, requested by the Chega party, saw Amado blaming the State’s failure to pay the agreed amounts under the concession contract for the suspension of the route, which also included stops in Cascais, Viseu and Vila Real.
Despite attempts to continue operations, including two temporary direct awards – one under the previous PS Socialist government and another under the current Democratic Alliance executive (PSD/CDS-PP/PPM) – delays in launching a new tender, combined with payment issues and a lack of approval from the Court of Auditors, forced the company to halt operations and enter a layoff phase.
Amado refused to put the blame on either political party, stressing that delays in payments have been systemic.
The regional air service is considered vital as it connects inland cities across northern and southern Portugal, reducing travel times significantly when compared to other forms of transportation.
During the hearing, Chega MP Filipe Melo lamented that a private company was forced to suspend its operations due to delayed payments by the State, which he criticised for failing to honour its commitments.
While PSD MP Gonçalo Aires and PS deputy Isabel Ferreira agreed on the importance of the service for territorial cohesion, they ended up playing a blame game over responsibility for the suspension. Aires accused the Socialist Party of failing to launch a timely tender, while Ferreira countered by pointing out that the service was never suspended during previous Socialist governance.
When questioned about a potential timeline for resuming operations, Amado stated that the new contract has yet to be signed, with further bureaucratic steps and approval from the Court of Auditors still pending.
“This is beyond our control,” he concluded.
