SATA Azores Airlines (SATA), with its main base in Ponta Delgada in the Portuguese Azores islands, has commenced direct weekly services connecting Madeira Island with Boston in the US and Toronto in Canada.
The first flight from Funchal Cristiano Ronaldo Airport (FNC) on Madeira Island departed for Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS) on June 12, 2024, while the inaugural flight between Funchal and Toronto-Pearson International Airport (YYZ) took off from Funchal on June 14, 2024.
These initial flights between Madeira and the US/Canada mark the beginning of the carrier’s 2024 summer seasonal operation from Madeira Island. In addition to the direct flights to each destination, SATA offers more connections to North America via its base at Ponta Delgada, in addition to its pre-existing direct weekly flight between Funchal and New York-JFK Airport.
The direct connection between Canada and the Madeira Archipelago will operate every week, with departures from Madeira Island on Fridays. In the opposite direction, flights depart Toronto on Saturdays. The direct flight between Boston and Funchal consists of a direct flight departing from Boston on Tuesdays and returning from Funchal on Wednesdays.
All flights are currently operated by a Boeing 767-300ER, registered CS-TST, obtained under a wet lease agreement from Portuguese charter airline Euro Atlantic Airways.
Graça Silva, Director of Sales, Marketing and Communication at SATA Group, said: “These two direct operations represent the conclusion of consistent work with our partners in the United States, Canada, and the Madeira Archipelago, which has allowed us to expand the offer to this Archipelago with these direct flights, in addition to the New York operation and flights between the Azores to Madeira Island that Azores Airlines has ensured over the years.”
SATA was first established as an airline in the Azores in 1941, with the aim of overcoming the archipelago’s issue of isolation. Today, SATA operates a wide network of scheduled domestic and international routes, plus charter flights to both the Azores, as well as Madeira Island, using a fleet of ten jet and seven turboprop aircraft.
The carrier’s mainline current fleet consists of three A320s, two A320neos, two A321neos, and three A321LRs. Uniquely, each of these aircraft carries slightly different liveries based on the individual aircraft’s name – variations of these include ‘Wonder’, ‘Dream’, ‘Imagine’, and ‘Inspire’.
Meanwhile, SATA’s domestic turboprop fleet consists of two DHC Dash-8 200s and five DHC Dash-8 Q400s, used largely for inter-island operations.