More Monday seats, but a later arrival from Terceira to Pico

SATA Air Açores’ flight plan for the 2026/2027 IATA winter season adds capacity on a Monday service between Ponta Delgada and Pico, but removes the previous morning connection for passengers travelling from Terceira. According to Grupo Aeroporto do Pico (GAPix), the revised timings mean those passengers cannot reach Pico until after 5 p.m. at the start of the week.

The group welcomes the replacement of a 37-seat Dash Q200 with an 80-seat Dash Q400 on the Monday morning service. It also welcomes the retention of an additional Tuesday afternoon rotation between Ponta Delgada and Pico, which it says helps travellers connect with flights from Lisbon and Porto.

GAPix’s main concern is how the flights fit together. It says the Monday change removes a morning travel option from Terceira and points out that Pico still has no Thursday afternoon air connection. In the group’s view, that gap makes short stays harder to arrange and reduces options for reaching the island ahead of the weekend.

The group is calling for later direct flights between Pico and Ponta Delgada from Thursday through Sunday, the restoration of morning connections with Terceira, and better transfers at Ponta Delgada for journeys to and from mainland Portugal. It says these changes would help passengers avoid lengthy waits and overnight stops caused by mismatched schedules.

For residents, students and people travelling for healthcare, the value of a flight also depends on when it arrives and whether the journey can be completed in a day. GAPix links dependable connections to local businesses and Pico’s ability to attract winter visitors. Its statement puts coordination between inter-island flights and mainland services at the centre of the island’s air access debate.