United Kingdom to the Azores

The Portuguese islands of the Azores, in mid-Atlantic, will again be connected this summer non-stop from the United Kingdom.  The alternative routing is via Lisbon. 

From last Saturday (2 April), SATA International resumed direct flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Ponta Delgada in Sao Miguel, the largest island of the Azorean archipelago.  SATA operate a fleet of four Airbus A310 and four Airbus A320, both aircraft two-class.

The total population of the nine islands that make up the Azores is around 250,000 and whilst quite south the average highest temperature is below 20°C (70°F).

In 1943, during World War II, Portuguese dictator Salazar leased bases in the Azores to the British, despite his previous collaboration with Germany.  The occupation of these facilities in October 1943 was codenamed Operation Alacrity by the Allies.  This was a key turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, allowing the Allies to provide aerial coverage in the Mid-Atlantic gap; helping them to hunt U-boats and protect convoys. www.sata.pt

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