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| Founded | 1990 (as OceanAir) 1998 (as SATA Internacional) 2015 (as Azores Airlines) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 1998 | ||||||
| Operating bases | João Paulo II Airport Humberto Delgado Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Lisbon Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | SATA Imagine | ||||||
| Fleet size | 10 | ||||||
| Destinations | 20 | ||||||
| Parent company | SATA Air Açores | ||||||
| Headquarters | Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal | ||||||
| Key people | Teresa Gonçalves (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Azores Airlines, previously known asSATA Internacional,[1] is a Portuguese airline based in themunicipality ofPonta Delgada, on the island ofSão Miguel in the autonomous archipelago of theAzores.[2][3] A subsidiary ofSATA Air Açores, the airline operates as the international arm of the regional network, connecting the archipelago intercontinentally from its hub atJoão Paulo II Airport to destinations in America and in Europe. The company operate flights as well from its base in Lisbon.
The airline was first established in March 1990 under the name ofOceanAir and in 1995 was authorized to operate air transport services as a non-scheduled carrier.SATA Air Açores became the major shareholder when OceanAir suspended service in 1994. It later became the sole owner, and on 20 February 1998 it was re-branded as SATA Internacional, resuming operations on 8 April 1998. The airline became a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo SATA, which also operatesSATA Air Açores.
Following its bid by public tender, SATA Internacional was awarded scheduled routes from Ponta Delgada toLisbon,Madeira Island andPorto. SATA would later own two tour operators in North America: SATA Express in Canada and Azores Express in the United States.
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In May 2009, SATA adopted a new brand image and a new logo which was applied to its first newAirbus A320-200, registered CS-TKO and named "Diáspora". The new scheme was adopted by both SATA Internacional andSATA Air Açores during the fleet upgrades beginning at the end of the 1990s and lasted until 2015.
In January 2015, the airline announced strategic plans to reduce its debts from €179 million to €40 million by 2020 by reducing its fleet and workforce. Under the plan it would also be renamed toAzores Airlines.[4] In October 2015, SATA Internacional subsequently announced a major rebranding, including the name change to Azores Airlines and a change of the colour scheme from blue tones to green tones. At the same time, a fleet renewal withAirbus A330 aircraft had been announced.[1] The first A330 commercial flight took place on 25 March 2016 from Ponta Delgada toBoston.[5]
In September 2016, the airline announced a change of plans regarding its fleet renewal. While plans to phase in a second Airbus A330 were later cancelled, Azores Airlines ordered twoAirbus A321neo on interim lease for 2017-2019 and fourAirbus A321LRs to be delivered in 2019 to replace the interim A321neos.[6] The A310 fleet was fully retired in October 2018,[7] after which the airline's fleet was composed entirely of narrowbody Airbus aircraft. In July 2019, the airline received its first Airbus A321LR.[8] However, by the end of 2019 when the airline had been expected to return the A321neos, it had retained them instead.
In January 2021, anAirbus A321LR operating Azores Airlines Flight S46865 claimed the record for the longest commercial A321LR flight by duration, which operated as a charter fromLisbon toBogotá in a time of 9 hours and 49 minutes.[9] The airline surpassed the record previously set byAir Transat for its A321LR flight on 26 October 2020 from Montréal Trudeau to Athens, taking a duration of 8 hours and 20 minutes,[citation needed] but was later surpassed byTAP Air Portugal on 29 March 2021 with its A321LR flight from Maputo to Praia, for a flight duration of 10 hours and 7 minutes.[citation needed]
Azores Airlines operates scheduled domestic flights from the Azores to theMadeira Islands andmainland Portugal, and international flights from the Azores to destinations inAfrica,Europe andNorth America, as well as charter flights. Regional flights within the Azores are operated by its parent company,SATA Air Açores.
Azores Airlines hasinterlining agreements with the following airlines:[10]
Azores Airlines hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines:
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As of August 2025[update], Azores Airlines operates the following aircraft:[16]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 3 | — | — | 168 | 168 | |
| Airbus A320neo | 2 | — | — | 168 | 168 | |
| Airbus A321LR | 3 | — | 16 | 174 | 190[17] | |
| Airbus A321neo | 2 | — | 16 | 170 | 186[17] | |
| Total | 10 | — | ||||
Smaller aircraft are operated by parentSATA Air Açores under its ownair operator's certificate, while longer-range aircraft operating flights for Azores Airlines may be seasonallywet-leased.[18][19]
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Azores Airlines has previously operated the following aircraft:[citation needed]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 3 | 1999 | 2018 |
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 2016 | 2018 |
| Boeing 737-300 | 3 | 1995 | 2005 |
| Boeing 737-400 | 2 | 2001 | 2005 |
The airline over its history as SATA Internacional and later as Azores Airlines has iterated various liveries.
The airline's original livery consisted of an all white fuselage with the nameSATA Internacional in ocean blue over the front windows, and a dark blue tail with the company logo. Before this, the livery had an idealised logo featuring the bands of crashing waves, superimposed by a sun-disk, with the calligraphic lettering"Fly Azores" below. This tourist-friendly logo was retired at the end of the 20th century, to be replaced with a more corporate image.
The airline as well as its parent companySATA Air Açores adopted new branding in 2009, which included an idealised bird symbol as the new logo. The symbol, called BIA (for"Blue Islands Açor"), consisted of nine geometrical shapes, representing the nine islands of the Azores assembled to form the mythicalAçor of Portuguese legend.[20] The"açor" ornorthern goshawk was thought to have been the bird found circling the islands of the Azores when Portuguese sailors first discovered the archipelago. This form appeared on the tail fin, in addition to a portion located just ahead of the wings on the fuselage.
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Following the airline's rebranding in 2015 from SATA Internacional to Azores Airlines, the new branding consisted of a change from blue tones to green tones, and the airline's previous açor symbol was changed to a symbol resembling a whale's tail exposed above the ocean surface, though like the previous symbol was also of nine geometrical shapes.[1] The main elements of the new branding on the airline's livery consisted of the word "Azores" written on the aircraft tailfin, the whale tail symbol appearing on the tailfin, engines, and within the airline's name written on the forward fuselage. The airline's firstAirbus A330-200 additionally featured a decal of asperm whale on the main fuselage, with the whale tail symbol and logo also appearing on the wingtips.
In 2017, the airline introduced revisions to its branding and livery upon the delivery of its firstAirbus A321neo aircraft, which involved abandoning the green tones in the airline's wordmark and logo in favor of the blue tones originally adopted in 2009, but maintaining the use of the whale tail logo. The wingtips also featured blue geometrical shapes resembling the logo. On the airline's Airbus A321neos andA321LRs, the fuselage prominently features a word, consisting of either "Breathe", "Wonder", "Magical", "Inspire" or "Peaceful" in a different colour, accompanied by the text, "That's the feeling when you visit Azores." in a matching colour. The airline's name, logo, and associated websites are also written on either side at the forward and rear boarding doors. The airline's A321neos and the first of two A321LRs collectively delivered between 2017 and 2019 additionally feature a QR code leading to the airline's website.
In late 2020, the airline's second Airbus A321LR featured further revisions to the branding and livery, consisting of the removal of the QR code, and abandoning the use of the whale tail logo in favor of a modified version of the original açor logo adopted in 2009. On the fuselage, the revised version of the livery includes the airline's wordmark written behind the forward boarding door, while the logo is placed between the boarding door and the cockpit windows. On the aircraft tail fin, the açor logo is enlarged compared to previous iterations, with the word "Azores" written in white along the rear edge of the tail fin, while the rest of the tail fin is coloured in dark blue. The airline's Airbus A320 aircraft were repainted to match the branding, each one with the word "Natural", "Dream" and "Unique" written prominently on their respective fuselages.
GRUPO SATA Sede Headoffice: Av. Infante D. Henrique nº55 9504-528 Ponta Delgada S.Miguel – Açores
The SATA Group comprises air transport companies whose decision centre is located in the city of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in the archipelago of Azores.
The recent code-share agreements established with WestJet and Air France*, as well as the existing interline protocols between Azores Airlines and Jet Blue,[sic] Alaska Airlines, and Porter*, allow for a wide range of passengers arriving in Boston, Toronto, or Montreal, to be able to continue their journey on Azores Airlines, thanks to the partnerships established.
