How to get to the Azores?

If you’re planning a trip to the Azores, one of the first things you need to know is which airlines fly directly to the archipelago. The Azores are made up of nine main islands, but not all of them have international airports. That’s why choosing your destination and flight route wisely is important, to avoid unnecessary stopovers and extra costs.

In this post, we’ll introduce you to all the airlines that fly directly to the Azores, both from mainland Portugal and from other countries in Europe and North America.

Airlines flying directly to the Azores from mainland Portugal

The main airline flying to the Azores from mainland Portugal is Azores Airlines, which belongs to the SATA group. It offers direct flights to São Miguel, Terceira, Faial, Pico and Santa Maria islands from Lisbon and Porto.

Another airline that flies to the Azores from mainland Portugal is TAP Air Portugal, which has direct flights to São Miguel and Terceira (Lajes) from Lisbon. TAP also has flights with a stopover in Lisbon to the other islands of the Azores, but in this case you have to change planes.

Airlines flying directly to the Azores from other European countries

If you’re in Europe and want to travel to the Azores, there are a few airlines that offer direct flights to the archipelago:

• From the UK to Ponta Delgada and Terceira (Lajes) the options are Ryanair and British Airways
• From Madrid (Spain) you can take an Iberia flight to Ponta Delgada. SATA Azores Airlines flies from Barcelona (Spain) and Las Palmas (Spain).
• To fly from Amsterdam (Netherland) to Ponta Delgada you must take a Tui Fly or Transavia flight. You must take a Tui Fly flight to the island of Terceira (Lajes).
• From Frankfurt (Germany) you can take a flight operated by SATA Azores Airlines, Ryanair and Lufthansa and from Dusseldorf (Germany) by SATA Azores Airlines.
• Flights from Paris (France) are operated by Transavia and SATA Azores Airlines.
• If you are in Brussels (Belgium) you can fly with Tui Fly to Ponta Delgada.
• Edelweiss and Swiss Airlines fly directly to the Azores from Geneva and Zurich respectively.

Airlines flying directly to the Azores from other North American countries

From the United States of America to travel to the Azores, there are three airline options that offer direct flights to the archipelago, SATA Azores Airlines, TAP Portugal and United Airlines, from Boston, New York and Oakland. The duration of these flights varies between 5 and 10 hours depending on the point of departure.

From Toronto (Canada) there are direct flights to São Miguel and Terceira (Lajes) with SATA Air Azores and from Montreal (Canada) with a direct flight to Terceira (Lajes).