The investigation “may be related to aircraft acquisition processes” and, during the searches, documents were requested since 2012.
The rental of the Airbus A330 aircraft to join the SATA fleet in 2016 motivated the searches carried out this Tuesday by the Judicial Police (PJ) at the airline’s facilities, a company source revealed to the Lusa agency.
According to the source, The inspectors were this morning at the aeronautical group’s facilities in Ponta Delgadahaving requested documents since 2012 to investigate the businesses related to the A330 plane, which bears the name of Ciprião de Figueiredo.
The long-term rental of the aircraft, which became known as the “sperm whale” because it bears the image of the mammal, was part of the SATA fleet renewal process decided by the administration then led by Luís Parreirão.
The first commercial flight of the SATA International/Azores Airlines Airbus A330 took place in March 2016, connecting Ponta Delgada with Boston, in the United States.
The decision to use A330 aircraft on long-haul routes was announced by the group’s management in June 2015..
The lease contract cost SATA more than 40 million euros, with the device being inactive for two years, due to high maintenance costs, according to a letter from the Government of the Azores revealed in March 2021.
As the executive explains, the contract and maintenance reserves for the device cost SATA — Azores Airlines a total of 24.6 million euros in five years (5.9 million in 2016, 7.6 million in 2017, 5.9 million in 2018, 4.3 million in 2019). and 835 thousand euros in 2020), although the plane only operated for the first three years.
Added to these amounts is the anticipation of the end of the “sperm whale” rental contract, which exceeded 16 million euros (including installments paid in due time and also compensation after extrajudicial negotiations for non-compliance with debt settlement deadlines). .
Heard in November 2023, in the investigation commission on SATA of the Regional Assembly, Luís Parreirão justified the Azorean company’s option for the two A330 aircraft, as they were, at that time, the most reliable devices for long-distance travel.
Lusa also contacted the Azores PJ Criminal Investigation Department, which did not provide clarification on the ongoing investigation.
Updated at 19:17
Source: Observadora
