Azores Airlines, the SATA Group airline that operates international flights, will open several new routes in June.
In a press release, the SATA Group explains that the “set of new direct operations” includes flights between North America and the destinations of Porto and Funchal, as well as between the Azores (Ponta Delgada) and the Algarve (Faro) and between the Azores (Ponta Delgada) and Italy (Milan).
On June 1st, Azores Airlines will start a direct route between Toronto and Funchal, while the following day, June 2nd, flights will start between New York and Porto, as well as between Ponta Delgada and Faro.
Flights between Porto and Boston start on June 4, the same day as the flights between Boston and Funchal, while the operation between Ponta Delgada and Milan, Italy, begins the following day, June 5. On June 7, Azores Airlines will also start flying between Toronto and Porto.
“In addition to these firsts, the airline is also resuming operations between the Azores (Ponta Delgada) and London, offering two flights a week,” said a statement from the SATA Group.


According to the Azorean aviation group, “the implementation of these new operations represents the culmination of a process in which the airline, national and regional entities linked to the tourism sector, promotion and travel agents and local representatives have been strongly involved”.
“As a result of this work, the demand indices recorded make it possible to foresee a summer that could exceed the demand recorded in 2023. In addition to these new operations, the airline has increased its scheduled operations for the summer of 2024 (domestic and international) by around 26% compared to last year’s IATA summer season,” adds the press release.
For Graça Silva, SATA Group’s Director of Sales, Marketing and Communication, the new routes provide “more choice for passengers wishing to reach the Azores and more opportunities for those wishing to travel between Europe and the United States”.
“These are investments that consolidate the airline’s sustained growth trajectory in recent years,” she added, quoted in the press release.
The SATA Group also points out that these new routes will help to boost the Azores Stopover, which allows a longer stay of up to seven days at the intermediate stopover before arriving at the final destination.
“Azores Airlines is the airline that offers the most flights to the Azores, connecting the archipelago to North America, to mainland Europe, including mainland Portugal and the Madeira archipelago, and also to the Cape Verde archipelago,” says the Azorean Group.

“New route to the Algarve opens up opportunities for American tourists”

One of Azores Airlines’ new routes, which is generating anticipation, is the operation between the cities of Ponta Delgada and Faro, starting on Sunday, with flights three times a week.
The flights will take place on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing from Ponta Delgada at 9am and from Faro at 12.25pm, and the air connection between the two cities will last approximately two hours and 25 minutes.
The flights between Ponta Delgada and Faro will be operated on Airbus A320 aircraft with capacity for 168 seats.
The airline points out that Faro International Airport, located in the central Algarve, the southernmost region of mainland Portugal, “represents the main gateway for tourists to the region and the second largest external gateway for passengers at national level”.
By investing in the air link between Ponta Delgada and Faro, Azores Airlines intends to “consolidate its position in the national market, expand its route portfolio and increase network connectivity in the Azores”.
This new offer allows, for example, tourists from North America to choose to stay in the Azores or continue on to a range of destinations in Portugal (Lisbon, Porto and Faro) and the islands (Madeira) and other European destinations, such as Paris, Frankfurt, Barcelona or Bilbao, the airline said.
Turismo do Algarve is committed to this new operation and will be present at Faro Airport to welcome passengers on the inaugural flight of the new direct route between Ponta Delgada and Faro.
This new connection, which will run until September 29th, will have three weekly frequencies, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Speaking about the inaugural flight from Ponta Delgada, André Gomes, President of Turismo do Algarve, said that “this new route not only strengthens the Algarve’s connectivity with the Azores, but also opens up new opportunities for North American tourists visiting the region to continue exploring the country via the Algarve”.
The Algarve’s tourism bodies approve of the new route.

From SATA Press Release.