SATA Air Açores: Dash 8 Flights Linking the Azores Islands

History and positioning

A historic part of the SATA group, this airline focuses specifically on inter-island connectivity in the Azores, a role close to a public service and quite distinct from that of its sister Azores Airlines, which is dedicated to intercontinental traffic.

The fleet

The fleet is small, about seven Bombardier Dash 8 Q200 and Q400 aircraft, with one more Q400 expected to arrive between June and the peak summer season to cover additional demand: aircraft sized for short hops between islands, not for longer routes.

Routes and network

It operates 16 routes entirely within the Azores, linking smaller islands such as Corvo, Flores, Graciosa and Santa Maria to the main hub of Ponta Delgada on São Miguel. For many residents, these flights are the only practical alternative to the ferry.

What passengers say

Reviews describe SATA Air Açores as an essential service more than a leisure product: appreciated for being the only air link to the smaller islands, but also associated with weather-related cancellations, given how exposed some Azorean runways are to Atlantic conditions.

It makes sense for anyone visiting more than one Azores island, since for several of them there is no realistic air alternative. It is not the airline to count on for a rigid schedule, because Atlantic weather can ground flights to the smaller islands at short notice. If your itinerary depends on reaching a smaller island such as Corvo or Flores, build at least one day of margin into your plans in case the schedule changes because of the weather.