Six bidders invited to submit non-binding offers for Azores Airlines

LISBON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Portugal's air transport operator SATA Holding has short-listed six out of eight investors to submit non-binding offers for subsidiary Azores Airlines by September 21, it said on Wednesday.

• SATA Holding, which is owned by the Azores regional government, is seeking to sell a minimum 75% stake in Azores Airlines, which connects the mid-Atlantic Portuguese archipelago to mainland Portugal, Europe, the United States, Canada and Cape Verde.

• It said it had reviewed documentation submitted by eight entities that expressed interest in the privatisation and found that "six met the participation requirements". It did not disclose the names of the entities.

• The airline's privatisation is part of a restructuring plan for the SATA group approved by the European Commission.

• Azores Airlines, which has a fleet of nine Airbus jets and seven Bombardier turboprops, cut its first-half net loss to €37.1 million ($42.80 million) from €41.1 million a year earlier despite higher fuel costs and weather-related disruptions, according to SATA Holding.

($1 = 0.8669 euros)

(Reporting by Sergio GoncalvesEditing by Andrei Khalip and David Goodman)