SATA operated its first connecting flight between Terceira Island and Madeira today, initiating this regular service between the two archipelagos. The flight was operated with a Bombardier Dash Q400 aircraft, which landed at Lajes Civil Airport on Terceira Island at 8:30 am.
According to a press release, in order to celebrate this moment, passengers were welcomed on board with the offer of regional products, namely honey cakes, a typical sweet from Madeira, and D. Amélia cheese tarts, a specialty of Terceira Island.
“Upon arrival in Terceira, passengers from Funchal were greeted by a welcoming committee, in a joint action by the airline and regional official entities, which highlighted the historical and symbolic nature of this new connection,” SATA stated.
The Terceira–Madeira service will have two weekly frequencies throughout the summer season, on Mondays (Terceira/Funchal direction) and Tuesdays (Funchal/Terceira direction), and on Thursdays (Terceira/Funchal direction), with return trips on Fridays (Funchal/Terceira direction).
In this way, SATA completes 12 weekly flights between the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira at the peak of the summer season.
The Lajes–Funchal route is the result of an update to the Public Service Obligations (PSO), which now include this connection in the flight offer between the two Portuguese archipelagos.