New air link is expected to play key role in bringing North Americans to the region
A new air link which is expected to bring scores of North American tourists to the Algarve was inaugurated last weekend, connecting Faro to Ponta Delgada in the Azores.
The first flight of the new Ponta Delgada-Faro air link operated by Azores Airlines touched down at Faro’s International Gago Coutinho Airport on Sunday (June 2), with 50 American and Canadian passengers onboard.
The new route is expected to play a key role in the Algarve’s goal to welcome more North Americans, especially after the highly anticipated launch of the first direct air link between the Algarve and the United States of America was called off by United Airlines in April.
But why is the route being viewed as a potential main gateway for Americans and Canadians into the Algarve? The answer is simple: the Azores has three direct air links to North America: Boston, New York and Toronto. In other words, North Americans looking to fly to the Algarve can now do so more easily from the Azores.
“The goal was not only to act in the national market, but also build the network in a way that we could welcome passengers from Boston, New York and Toronto in the Azores, and then ‘distribute them’ (to other destinations). One of the destinations is Faro. And the same goes for the oppose direction,” explained José Roque, Chief Operating Officer of the SATA Group, which includes Azores Airlines.
In fact, the new air link was devised in a way that the airline believes the Algarve and Azores can be ‘sold’ in the same travel package to tourists who would like to visit both destinations, he added.
While the first flight brought around 50 passengers from North America, SATA believes this “number will grow throughout the summer”.
Algarve tourism chief André Gomes has also underlined the new route’s “strong potential to attract the North American market, which as we know has been growing a lot in recent years in the region.” Said the president of the Algarve’s tourism board (RTA) and association (ATA), the number of American and Canadian holidaymakers has increased around 50% in the Algarve since the period before the Covid-19 pandemic.
André Gomes said the new air link “connects two regions that have several unifying elements, despite the ocean that separates them, such as the natural landscapes and heritage, gastronomy and the hospitality that the people of the Algarve and Azores are known for.”
Gomes also highlighted that this will be the “first time that the Algarve and Azores will have a direct air link.”
The route has three weekly flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays until September 29, with departures from Faro at 1.25pm and arrivals in Ponta Delgada at 3.05pm. In the opposite direction, flights depart from Ponta Delgada at 9am and arrive in Faro at 12.25pm.
According to SATA, the schedule “provides convenient conditions for transfers via Ponta Delgada to the United States of America (Boston and New York), the Cape Verde Archipelago, and Canada (Toronto and Montreal).”
Albeit a few minutes late, the first Airbus A321LR landed at the Algarve airport at around 12.40pm, with passengers greeted by a live traditional folk dance (corrido algarvio) courtesy of the Rancho Folcórico da Casa do Povo de Conceição de Faro. There was also cake, gifts handed out to passengers in the form of the Algarve’s fleur du sel and a special ceremony to mark the opening of the air link.
While it is still early days, SATA has admitted the possibility of keeping the route running through the winter season, although it will depend on its success.
“We still do not have our winter plan completed. I won’t say yes or no, it must be evaluated. There is always a chance, but it would have to be well calculated. One of our drivers is the profitability of our routes,” explained José Roque.
