The PSD’s Faro division has revealed its “moderate satisfaction” over Ryanair's announced decision to not close its operating base at Faro Airport, but the party regrets that the solution found would involve the dismissal of around half of the current workers.
The low-cost carrier announced yesterday that it had reached an agreement with ANA and will maintain its base in Faro next winter, albeit with only two aircraft, instead of the three it previously maintained in the Algarve.
This reduction in the number of aircraft will imply, the company warned, a significant reduction in the number of workers working in Faro as of January 2020. Still, Ryanair expects to maintain “at least half of the jobs”, which currently consist of 100 workers.
"The PSD regrets that the solution, which involves reducing from three to two aircraft at the base, will lead to a reduction in the number of jobs in cabin crew, which will cause difficulties for many families," the Social Democrats revealed.
Still, the Social Democrats welcomed the decision of the Irish airline and congratulates all negotiators, "in particular the trade unions, the airport administration, the tourism and hotel industry associations and the Algarve mayors", underlining the role of the Mayor of Faro, Social Democrat Rogério Bacalhau, "who was the most visible face of the inclusion of the local communities in this debate."
Also involved in the negotiation were Algarve Tourism (RTA) and Turismo de Portugal. João Fernandes, president of Algarve Tourism, confirmed that the negotiations "went as expected and things are well underway".
Furthermore, the Faro political committee of the PSD also criticized that “nothing has been done to find mechanisms to reduce the degree of exposure that touristic regions, such as the Algarve, have regarding Brexit and the instability that this process has caused and is already causing on the UK market”.
João Fernandes pointed out that it is "in the public domain that the Secretary of State for Tourism has personally worked to resolve the issue of Ryanair's base in Faro." The Faro PSD concludes that "the State must, for once, take into account the interests of our region, its entrepreneurs and those who work here, and put them on its agenda, something that it clearly did not do in the legislature that is now coming to an end."
