More than eight decades after the creation of SATA, we recall some events regarding the respective operation in Santana (SMG/LPML): Flights were conditioned to sunrise and sunset; During night landings, in urgent circumstances, goosenecks powered by oil were employed to demarcate (illuminate) the edges of the service runway. In wet runway conditions, the braking coefficient…
Category: Our History
June 15, 1947: SATA’s first commercial flight
We are celebrating today the anniversary of the official beginning of SATA’s operational and commercial activities, signaled by its first commercial flight on June 15, 1947, between São Miguel and Santa Maria islands, aboard a Beechcraft UC-45B Expeditor aircraft, piloted by Captain Marciano Bonucci Veiga, the Company’s captain-aviator, first pilot and technical director. The aircraft…
SATA: A longevity phenomenon in commercial air transport
The longevity of SATA can be attributed to its unique operational characteristics, which are challenging, tempered by the rigors of the climate, and tend to have a deficit. However, it is essential to the daily lives of Azoreans, and serves as an instrument in the service of Autonomy and an essential attribute for enhancing the…
7 things you might not know about SATA Group
Are you our frequent flyer, spotter, an aviation fan who has always kept up with us or someone who likes to stay up to date and encourage your general culture? We invite you to read our blog post “7 things you might not know about SATA Group” to check if you missed any detail of…
75 years uniting what the sea separates
On June 15, 1947, SATA’s first commercial flight took off from the island of São Miguel to the island of Santa Maria, in a Beechcraft UC-45B Expeditor aircraft, led by Captain Marciano Veiga. The official opening ceremony was held on Santana airfield at 4:00 pm. The aircraft parking space at the aerodrome was decorated for…
SATA in the 50s and 60s
Stories do more than portray events from the past and entertain. If we listen or read them carefully, we are swept away to a place where events have very particular magic and where even the challenges of the past lend a poetic character to routine activities. The story we bring you is in the book…
Here comes the bride
Laureano Almeida, who carried out an impressive and dedicated career as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician from May 1957 to 1994 and became a true SATA hallmark, fondly remembers one of the most beautiful episodes he experienced on a flight originating at Lajes Field, on Terceira Island, to Santana Aerodrome, on São Miguel Island, where a…
The good spirit of the islands onboard SATA
Flying on SATA Azores Airlines is flying with the Azores on board. Not only because most of the crew is resident or native of the Azores, but also because passengers are also Azorean and carry with them the atmosphere of the islands. The story we are going to tell reflects that. The good spirit of…
I liked it so much, SATA!
I’m one of those snotty ones who doesn’t miss an opportunity to badmouth SATA, but today I looked at the man, inside this plane I’m writing to you from, and told him, in the middle of an epiphany: – It’s all over between us. I love this lady. Truly. (He laughed. He never takes me…