Future TAP president Luis Rodriguez said this Thursday that “the date of taking over at the airline has not yet been set,” saying he will leave SATA leadership on April 3.
“When I’m done here [na SATA], in principle, will be on April 3rd. When I start on the other side remains to be determined,” he said when asked about his entry into TAP.
This Thursday, Luis Rodriguez spoke in Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores, accompanied by the Financial Secretary of the Government of the Azores, at a press conference announcing the opening of a tender for the privatization of Azores Airlines (which is owned by the SATA group).
On March 9, the Minister of Infrastructure said the government wants the still executive president of TAP to end his functions “as soon as possible”, noting that the decision on who will lead will be decided before the arrival of Luis Rodriguez, the new CEO, in April.
On the same day, a message sent to the Securities Trading Commission (CMVM) indicated that TAP Chairman Manuel Beja and Executive Chairman Christine Urmier-Widener were still in office. And I don’t know when to leave.
Following a report from the Inspector General of Finance (IGF) on the TAP termination process with Alexandra Reis, which indicated serious shortcomings, the government decided to fire the airline’s chairman, Manuel Beja, and the chief executive. President (CEO) Christine Urmier-Widener.
The government chose Luis Rodríguez to replace Manuel Beja and Christine Urmier-Widener, filling the two posts.
At the urging of journalists, Luis Rodriguez refused to talk about the future of TAP and the departure of the airline’s still CEO: “I have no comment.”
Regarding the future relationship between TAP and SATA, the manager stated that carriers need to know “where to compete and where to cooperate.”
“I protected [no passado] that TAP and SATA, as national companies, must know where to compete and where to cooperate. This is what we have been doing for the past three years and I am sure we will continue to do so.”
Luis Rodriguez also acknowledged that his departure from SATA to TAP “was not foreseen”, but said he was leaving the Azorean company with a “completely clear conscience”.
“I think the future of SATA is on track to be secured, so the privatization process is going well – and it will. The necessary stones have been laid, the procedures have been completed, the jury has been appointed,” he stressed.
TAP ended 2022 with a net profit of 65.6 million euros, the air carrier said in a statement on Tuesday.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.