Indeed, Ryanair are no doubt playing the situation in the Azores to their advantage. With Azores Airlines at threat of closure if a privatisation deal isn't successful, this leaves the Azores in a particularly desperate situation. Either the privatasion will happen and Azores Airlines will make it's own commercial decisions, or they'll be little option but to bow down to Ryanair's demands to keep a reasonable level of service and prevent the implications of a TAP monopoly on routes to Lisbon and Porto.