The plane, bound for Ponta Delgada, flew directly to Pico because most of the passengers had this island as their final destination.
Last night, Pico Airport received a direct flight from Madeira for the first time, strengthening the connection between the two Portuguese archipelagos. The operation was carried out by SATA Air Açores, using a Dash Q400, on a special flight that carried passengers—most of whom were destined for Pico Island.
Due to this situation, the company changed its schedule at the last minute: the aircraft flew directly from Madeira to Pico and only then continued on to Ponta Delgada, in São Miguel, the destination of the regular connection between the archipelagos.
Flight number S4 3165 departed Funchal at 9:25 pm. (Madeira time / 8:25 pm. UTC) and landed in Pico at 10:40 pm. (Azores local time), a journey time of approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. This unprecedented operation was designed to replace a cancellation from the previous day between Madeira and São Miguel, ensuring passengers would arrive directly in Pico without a stopover.
After disembarking the passengers, the aircraft continued to Ponta Delgada at 11:05 pm, arriving about half an hour later.
This unprecedented operation reinforces SATA Air Açores’ flexibility in responding to exceptional situations and demonstrates its ability to provide direct connections between the islands of the archipelagos, even outside of regular routes.