"Once the auction has concluded, the service has been awarded to Sevenair and financial commitments have been met, as well as Sevenair's contractual obligations with the State have been reestablished, the provision of public services provided by this connection can once again be resumed in full", reported the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing.

For the cabinet led by Miguel Pinto Luz, the resumption of air connections on the Bragança/Vila Real/Viseu/Portimão/Cascais route is a "procedural achievement of the Executive that allows the restoration of public service".

The contract will be signed before the end of the year and then awaits approval from the Court of Auditors so that flights can begin, he explained.

The company Sevenair had already had the concession for the Bragança/Vila Real/Viseu/Portimão/Cascais route, and the concession contract took place between March 2019 and February 2022. It was then extended twice without a public tender due to delays in the process.

At the end of September, the Sevenair Group announced that it would interrupt the Bragança-Portimão air connection on September 30th for an indefinite period of time until the Government began paying the debt (of 3.8 million euros) and signed a new contract.

At the same time, the flight director, Sérgio Leal, said that the Sevenair Group once again competed for the service and recalled that the company had been the only candidate for 15 years.