SATA Air Açores
The Islands' Airline
It was certainly pioneering wings in mind and the recollection that the first aircraft to cross the North Atlantic landed on the waters of the archipelago that led a group of Azoreans to lay the foundation of SATA Air Açores by setting up "Sociedade Açoriana de Estudos Aéreos" on August 21st, 1941.
Six years later, on June 15th, 1947 a Beechcraft aircraf, CS-TAA, with 7 passengers began company operations with a flight between the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria.
SATA was set up as a private company but, in 1980, was turned into a state-owned company under the jurisdiction of the Regional Government of the Azores and the name was changed to Serviço Açoriano de Transportes Aéreos, E.P., maintaining the acronym SATA.
In 1990, as a modern airline, SATA joined the European Regional Airlines Association (ERA) and International Air Transport Association (IATA).
In 1994, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), marked its 50th anniversary by awarding a commemorative medal of honour to the entity or individual, in each Member State, that had made a relevant contribution to the development of civil aviation. In Portugal the medal was awarded to SATA.
Operating characteristics in the Azores needed to be adapted to the evolution of a sector that is facing considerable change at the worldwide level. SATA is committed, therefore, to streamlining the company with a view to making it more flexible, using technology suited to its size and market and to improving and monitoring the management system.
Marketing has focussed on fares to create more traffic, and an Azores resident fare has also been introduced. A significant increase in inter-island traffic has already been verified as a result of these alterations.
