The European Commission has approved EUR 133 million Portuguese liquidity support to SATA Air Açores but opens an investigation into other public support measures.

As of 2017, the Autonomous Region of Azores, which wholly owns SATA, approved three capital increases to partly address the company's liquidity shortfalls. The purpose of the investigation is to understand if such capital increases are in line with EU rules on State Aid to companies in difficulty. Namely, whether it constitutes State Aid that should have been notified to the Commission and, in such case, if such measures meet the conditions of the 2014 rescue and restructuring guidelines.

The Portuguese authorities claim that the capital increases in question do not constitute State Aid under EU rules as since the Regional Government of Azores, as the sole shareholder of SATA, acted as a private investor operating under market conditions.

Portugal and other interested parties may now submit comments.