The Portuguese National Institute of Civil Aviation (INAC) has authorized the Azorean airline, SATA International, to fly to Brazil.

SATA International was given the right by to operate scheduled services from Lisbon to Salvador and Bahia starting this summer.

According to SATA International representative, José Gamboa, the airline is only waiting for clearance from the Brazilian civil aviation authorities to start offering the services.

SATA International is required to offer a minimum of 52 flights/year, to its new destinations in Brazil, to stay in the program.

Established in the Azores in 1941, SATA Group ( António Gomes de Menezes, President), is comprised of five companies involved in transport, tourism promotion and airfield management.

For over 60 years, SATA Group has been operating flights connecting the nine islands of the Azores and between the Azores and mainland Portugal.

SATA International is the only commercial airline providing direct flights between the United States and the Azores.

In 1990, SATA joined the European Regional Airlines Association (ERA) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ccurrently offers more than 60 destinations in Europe, the United States and Canada.

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