Sara Cerdas (PS-MEP) last week met with Ryanair representatives in Brussels, to discuss issues affecting European air connectivity and the competitiveness of Member States, in particular Portugal.
At the time, the PS MEP questioned the possibility of new routes to Porto Santo, pointing out the potential of the island.
The Ryanair official said the airline will increase its capacity, particularly in terms of the aircraft fleet, and that new routes are currently being studied. Although not immediately confirmed, he undertook to assess this possibility.
Sara Cerdas also asked for answers to the constraints, felt by Madeirans, in recovering the value of the social mobility allowance. The problem has occurred as the airline’s documentation does not conform to Portuguese requirements, making it difficult for CTT to recover the subsidy, and also, because the airline is slow in sending the necessary documents. Sara Cerdas pointed out that this affects Madeirans and how they perceive the airline. “We need answers to these problems,” she said, “and I am sure it is in the interests of both parties to solve them.”
Consecutive delays and cancellations of flights, resulting from the French air traffic control strike has affected millions of passengers. According to the company, this year alone, 350 flights to and from Portugal have already been affected. Ryanair recently launched a petition for the European Commission to intervene and create minimum service laws to safeguard overflight operations, allowing other European air traffic controllers to manage flights that pass through French airspace, especially on fly-through flights.
The MEP has insisted on ensuring a fair territorial cohesion of the outermost regions, such as Madeira and the Azores, to the European continent, given their strong dependence on air and sea transport and to mitigate obstacles to the free movement of people and goods.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
