Tender for air link between Madeira-Porto Santo launched
The launch of the public tender was triggered by the ministry of infrastructure and housing.
The opening of an international public tender for the concession of the airline between the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo has been published in the Official State Gazette, the regional government announced.
The launch of the public tender was triggered by the ministry of infrastructure and housing.
In a note released by the office of Eduardo Jesus, secretary of tourism and culture of Madeira on Monday, it is recalled that the executive made several steps at the end of last year and the beginning of this year to reinforce “the need to launch the tender,” which ended up “not happening in the stipulated period.”
“The last concession ended on 24 April this year, and the contract was extended for six months to ensure uninterrupted links between Funchal and Porto Santo,” the note reads.
The links between the two islands of the Madeira archipelago are operated by Spanish company Binter, based in the Canary Islands, which uses a 70-seater ATR 72.
Those interested in presenting proposals for the public tender now launched must submit them by “11:59 p.m. on the 62nd day after the date of dispatch of the announcement published herein,” the statement said.
The concession will be for a period of three years and the basic award value is set at 5,577,900 euros, the same as the previous tender.
Quoted in the note, Madeira’s regional secretary for tourism and culture regretted “the delay in launching the tender and the fact that the demands contained in the proposals for changes to the specifications presented by the regional government of Madeira have not been met.
Eduardo Jesus considers that the proposed changes “took into account the specific needs of Porto Santo, through a careful process of consultation with the city council and the Porto Santo sector, held in June 2021” by the regional government (PSD/CDS-PP).
Also according to the regional secretary “this is a matter of paramount importance for the region and especially for the residents of the island of Porto Santo […], considering both the need for and the benefits that come from maintaining this means of air transport”.
