It has taken parliament to intervene but at last the smaller car rental companies at Faro airport have a champion joining their cause.
The Communist Party’s proposal in defence of oppressed businesses, for years subjected to extortionate fees and charges by airports operator ANA, has been approved in part.
The PCP wants the government to intervene to protect the small rent-a-car and transfer companies at Faro Airport from ANA's ‘abusive practices.’
The intervention means that Aeroportos de Portugal has to ensure that small rent-a-car companies can, "operate in appropriate conditions at Faro Airport,” i.e “back off and give these businesses some leeway.”
The additional PCP proposal, to re-privatise ANA, was rejected by a majority of MPs.
As for the car rental businesses, "With this vote, the PS, PSD and CDS acknowledge that ANA has abusive practices directed against the small rent-a-car and transfer companies that carry out their activity at Faro Airport, but at the same time, they reject the possibility of attacking the root of the problem, that is, of reversing the privatisation of ANA," said the communists.
For the PCP, "the extortion of the small rent-a-car and transfer companies at Faro by ANA, to guarantee big profits for the French multinational Vinci, is an example of the negative consequences which resulted from the privatisation of the company.”
