New direct Azores flights available
SATA Air Azores has launched a weekly direct flight to the Azores islands in an effort to attract more British tourists to the destination.
The flights from Gatwick to Ponta Delgada will run from 5 April to 25 October, though there are plans to start a year-round service if there is enough demand.
Last year just 6,500 UK tourists visited the islands, though the island’s tourism authorities are keen to increase that figure by working with the 21 UK operators that already sell the destination.
Tourist beds on the nine islands are due to increase by 4,000 over the next three years but authorities are keen to ensure that the Azores’ pristine and unspoiled countryside remains that way.
Gary David, chairman of the Association of Tour Operators to Portugal, whose company Cadogan will soon launch an Azores programme, said: “The Azores are special islands – there is no other short-haul destination like them.
“Whale-watching is a big draw – people are prepared to fly 12 hours to get this experience. Now it will be accessible in under four.”
SATA Air Azores is the state-run carrier for the islands, owned by the Autonomous Region of Azores.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
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