On June 15, 1947, SATA's first commercial flight took off from the island of São Miguel towards Santa Maria in a Beechcraft UC-45B Expeditor aircraft, commanded by Marciano Veiga. It was the beginning of SATA's operational and commercial activity, bringing residents of the Archipelago air transport comfort and mobility.
From now on, São Miguel and Santa Maria were only 30 minutes apart, compared to the six-hour sea crossing needed until then. Seven and a half decades since the milestone, SATA Air Açores assures connections between the nine islands of the Azores in an enduring air movement that, in 2022, will rise to 17,900 flights, with an average offer of 432 flights per week, and around 74 flights per day, in the pick of the summer season.
That certainly makes SATA Air Açores planes part of the Azorean Archipelago's life. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first commercial flight, the airline has prepared welcome actions on land and on board, dedicated to passengers who chose t travel on the special date.
On board SATA Air Açores, the crew's communications were dedicated to the special event and candies were distributed on all flights, recalling an 80s thoughtfulness. On land, passengers arriving at Santa Maria were surprised with an anniversary cake.