Azores Airlines, the flagship carrier of the Azores, is set to introduce new destinations in 2024, enhancing its current 11 operations in North America and various European cities.
CEO Teresa Gonçalves announced the expansion, emphasizing its benefits for Azores-based passengers and connecting travelers. The airline plans to introduce transatlantic flights from Ponta Delgada, Funchal, and Porto, linking the Azores to Boston, New York, Toronto, Montreal, London, and Milan.
The service will provide, “more offers for passengers based in the Azores, but also new possibilities for connecting traffic, which has increasingly and continuously used Azores Airlines connections, whether to reach North America or Europe,” according to Teresa Gonçalves, CEO of Azores Airlines and SATA Group.
Next summer, the Azores-based carrier, in addition to new routes connecting the Azores with Europe with transatlantic flights from Ponta Delgada, Funchal, and Porto, will resume its route to London while opening a new route to Milan.
The new routes to North America, including flights from Funchal, Madeira, to Boston and Toronto, Canada, begin in June and run until September. The airline, which already serves Boston, New York/JFK, and Toronto from Ponta Delgada has scheduled seasonal flights from Terceira Island, to Oakland International Airport for August through September.
Currently, Azores Airlines already offers a one-stop route between Funchal and Toronto via Ponta Delgada in the Azores, as recently as December 2016, when it operated nonstop flights from Funchal to Boston. The current services will be maintained despite the addition of the new routes.
The non-stop flights to Canada from Ponta Delgada to Toronto Pearson International Airport and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, in Montreal, will run between June and September.
The Azorean airline will become the fifth carrier to provide transatlantic flights from Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, joining Air Transat, Iberojet, TAP Air Portugal, and United Airlines.
Teresa Gonçalves, CEO of Azores Airlines owner SATA Group, says the decision to add more North American routes from Funchal follows the success of the current New York John F. Kennedy route, which began in November 2021.
Porto will become a relevant hub for Azores Airlines’ transatlantic flights, offering travelers a network of European getaways to include Barcelona, Venice, Munich, Amsterdam, Naples, Reykjavik, and Dublin.
The airline will also launch a new route from Boston Logan International Airport to Milan-Malpensa Airport, via Ponta Delgada, beginning in June and continuing until September.
Despite these expansions, the airline will maintain its existing services, ensuring passengers have various options. The decision to add more North American routes from Funchal was influenced by the success of the New York/JFK route, introduced in November 2021.
Azores Airlines S.A., previously SATA Internacional, headquartered at João Paulo II Airport in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, offers domestic flights within the Azores and mainland Portugal, serving cities like Lisbon and Porto. Internationally, the airline connects passengers to various destinations in North America and Europe, facing competition from industry giants like Air Canada, Air Transat, TAP Air Portugal, United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Airlines. Despite the competition, Azores Airlines aims to carve its niche by offering unique connections.
PAJ/Staff
The Azores (population 250,000) is a region of Portugal composed of nine islands. The archipelago discovered by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term; the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal. According to the latest US census over 1.3 million individuals of Portuguese descent live in the United States, the majority with roots in the Azores. It is estimated that over 20,000 US citizens live in Portugal.
