As summer ferry services return to more of the Azorean archipelago, the latest passenger figures suggest that inter-island maritime travel has yet to regain the momentum it enjoyed before the COVID-19 pandemic. While tourism to the islands has largely rebounded, passenger traffic on regional ferry routes remains constrained by a network that is significantly smaller than the one that operated just a few years ago.
According to newly released data from the Azores Regional Statistics Service (SREA), 56,974 passengers disembarked at Azorean ports on inter-island ferry services in June 2026, representing a 7.97 percent decline compared with the 61,908 passengers recorded during the same month in 2025.
The decrease follows a brief improvement in May, when passenger numbers had edged up by just 0.5 percent year over year. June’s results, however, signal a return to the downward trend that has characterized inter-island maritime transport since the second half of 2025.
Seasonal ferry operations expanded in June with the addition of routes serving Terceira and Graciosa, marking the beginning of the traditional summer schedule operated by Atlânticoline. During the low season, regular passenger service is limited to the islands of the Triangle—Pico, Faial, and São Jorge—and the western route linking Flores and Corvo.
Despite the expanded summer schedule, overall passenger numbers continued to fall.
As in previous years, Pico Island recorded the highest volume of passenger arrivals, benefiting from its frequent year-round connections with neighboring Faial. The island welcomed 25,341 arriving passengers during June, although that represented an 8.12 percent decrease compared with the same month last year.
Faial remained the second-busiest island, registering 23,362 arrivals, a decline of 8.94 percent. Passenger traffic also fell on São Jorge, where 6,585 passengers disembarked, representing a 6.57 percent reduction from June 2025.
With seasonal routes restored, Terceira received 598 passengers, down by 48 travelers, or 7.43 percent, from the previous year. Only a handful of islands recorded positive growth.
Graciosa was the only island in the Central Group to register an increase, with passenger arrivals rising from 287 to 322, an improvement of 12.2 percent.
The Western Group also posted encouraging results for the month. Flores welcomed 412 passengers, up 9.57 percent, while Corvo recorded 354 arrivals, representing a 13.1 percent increase over June 2025.
The broader picture for the first half of the year, however, remains one of continued decline.
Between January and June, Azorean ports recorded 211,479 passenger arrivals on inter-island ferry services, a decrease of 11,019 passengers, or 4.95 percent, compared with the first six months of 2025.
Pico continued to lead cumulative passenger traffic with 97,672 arrivals, although this still represented a 4.59 percent decline. Faial followed with 93,741 passengers, down 5.52 percent, while São Jorge recorded 17,750 arrivals, reflecting a 4.04 percent decrease.
Even in the Western Group, where June brought modest gains, the six-month totals remained below last year’s levels. Flores recorded 749 passengers, down 4.1 percent, while Corvo registered 647 arrivals, an 8.1 percent decline.
The figures underscore a structural shift in inter-island transportation that has persisted since the pandemic.
Before 2020, Atlânticoline operated an extensive seasonal network using larger vessels that connected nearly every island in the archipelago—with the exception of Corvo—during the summer months. Those routes allowed both residents and visitors to travel directly between the Eastern, Central, and Western island groups, providing a scenic and practical alternative to air travel while encouraging longer stays and multi-island tourism.
That network has never been fully restored.
Today, the seasonal ferry operation is largely confined to the five islands of the Central Group—Terceira, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico, and Faial—between June and September, while year-round services remain focused on the Triangle islands and the Flores–Corvo connection.
The disappearance of direct maritime links between the island groups has fundamentally changed the role of ferry transportation in the Azores. What was once a comprehensive network connecting much of the archipelago has evolved into a more limited regional service, reducing travel options for residents while making maritime tourism less accessible for visitors wishing to explore multiple islands.
Although air travel has become increasingly important for longer inter-island journeys, ferries continue to offer advantages that airplanes cannot easily replicate. They provide an affordable means of transporting vehicles, encourage slower and more immersive travel experiences, and support economic activity in ports and coastal communities throughout the archipelago.
The latest statistics suggest that demand alone may not be the primary obstacle to recovery. Instead, the reduced scope of the ferry network appears to be shaping passenger numbers, even as tourism to the Azores continues to grow.
For many observers, the data raise broader questions about the future of regional mobility. As the Azores seeks to strengthen sustainable tourism, improve connectivity among its islands, and encourage visitors to explore beyond the main destinations, maritime transportation remains an essential part of the conversation.
The June figures offer a reminder that while the pandemic may have ended, its effects on the Region’s transportation network continue to be felt. Six years after the disruption of 2020, inter-island ferry travel remains below pre-pandemic expectations, suggesting that the recovery of maritime mobility has been slower—and perhaps more complex—than that of tourism itself.
Based on a Story in Diário dos Açores-Paulo Viveiros, director–Photos from Atlânticoline