Regional Government challenges ANA/Vinci's proposal for Horta airport with Secretary of State for Infrastructures - Communication

Presidência do Governo Regional

The Regional Government has sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Infrastructures, Frederico Francisco, expressing its concern and dissatisfaction with ANA/Vinci's proposal to use part of the current runway at Horta airport to implement RESA (runway end safety areas), and urging him to remedy the situation.

The Regional Government has been a very active and interested party in the whole process leading to the expansion of the runway at Horta airport, expressing its concern and dismay at ANA/Vinci's intentions.

If the decision taken by ANA/Vinci moves forward, it will result in a reduction of the declared distances of the current runway by 180 metres (90 metres on each runway threshold), making it impossible to operate turbojet aircraft such as the Airbus A320 currently used by Azores Airlines for flights between Horta and Lisbon.

This situation would significantly jeopardise the connectivity and mobility of Azoreans and undermine the principle of territorial continuity, creating serious constraints on flight connections between Mainland Portugal and the island of Faial. This is a clear contradiction with the basic requirements for the operation of regular air services following the public service obligations (already published in the Official Journal of the European Union), which provide for flight connections between Lisbon and Horta and presuppose the operation of turbojet aircraft.

The implementation of RESA - which are safety areas at the end of the runway for use in emergencies - is an obligation under Regulation (EU) no. 139/2014 and has been in force for more than 10 years without ANA/Vinci having proceeded with its implementation, although there is a commitment to do so by the end of this year.

Acknowledging the importance of Horta airport for the mobility of Azoreans and the need to boost its operational capacity, the Regional Government signed an ARAAL contract amounting to €800,000 with the Horta City Council in March 2023, to subsidise 40% of the cost of drawing up the project for the expansion of the runway.

For this reason, the Regional Government considers the fact that ANA/Vinci is now considering limiting the usable area of the Horta airport runway beyond comprehension, especially at a time when the international public tender for its expansion is already underway and it is already public knowledge that there are seven proposals for its development.

The Regional Government demands that any solution adopted for the Horta airport runway should not make its future expansion unfeasible or have any effect on its current operation.

The Regional Government believes that, for all the above reasons, the solution being considered by ANA/Vinci and which has been presented to ANAC - National Civil Aviation Authority is inappropriate and highly detrimental to regional interests.

Therefore, we urge ANAC (as the regulatory body) not to postpone this. We also suggest that alternatives be explored, such as making a formal request to the European Commission for a derogation from the implementation of RESA until the runway expansion works at Horta airport are completed, as proposed in the letter sent by the Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructures to the Secretary of State for Infrastructures.