CS-TSK (msn 11664) was ferried from Toulouse Blagnac to Lisbon, where it will undergo pre-induction maintenance and registration procedures. The airline said the A320neo would enter revenue service as soon as the formalities are completed, but did not give a specific timeline letalone file schedules for the type. The aircraft is configured for up to 168 passengers in a single-class layout.
The airline expecteds the second A320neo in early 2024 and the third in early 2025, although deliveries might be delayed. The first one was delivered four months behind the original deadline.
Azores Airlines Launches Madeira – New York A321neo Flights
Azores Airlines has submitted schedules to OAG to begin a brand-new Funchal, Maderia, to New York JFK service on behalf of tour operator Inovtravel. While not yet available bookable at the time of writing, expect it to be officially announced shortly. The airline has a long history of serving the US and Canada from Ponta Delgada, the Azores, focused on ex-pat demand.
This A321neo is one of seven aircraft in Azores Airlines’ fleet. Photo: BriYYZ via Flickr.
What’s happening?
Azores Airlines has filed to operate Funchal to New York JFK once-weekly from November 1st using the 186-seat A321neo (non-LR). Some 21 round-trips are planned to last until March 21st, just before the end of the northern hemisphere winter season. The planned schedule, based on mid-November, is as follows.
S4263: leaving Funchal at 16:00 and arriving JFK at 18:50
S4262: departing JFK at 20:50, arriving back at 08:05 the following day
The 3,158-mile route would have a seven-hour and 50 minute block time outbound and six hours and 15 minutes back. The big difference is, of course, because of wind direction. The aircraft used is scheduled to arrive from Ponta Delgada at 14:40 and depart back to the Azores at 09:35 the following day.
Azores Airlines to the US and Canada
While Azores Airlines operated one-offs from Boston to Funchal in 2005, 2006, 2016, and 2017, its network to North America naturally revolves around Ponta Delgada and Terceira in the Azores, the so-called Hawaii of Europe.
From September 2021, the carrier offers Ponta Delgada to Boston (up to five-weekly) and Toronto (three-weekly), both year-round. It also has Terceira to Boston and Toronto (both once-weekly) until late October. Terceira-Boston is the shortest transatlantic A321LR route, while Chicago-Stockholm is the longest.
In 2019, Azores Airlines served Montreal from Ponta Delgada (a very long-standing route) and also Terceira to Oakland, 4,907 miles away. Oakland, in California, has been served non-stop since 2014, and between 2007-2014 variously via Toronto Hamilton or Toronto Pearson.
The addition of Funchal-JFK means that Azores Airlines will have five transatlantic routes between September and December. Photo: Arran Rice – Simple Flying.
Why are they operated?
Existing routes to Toronto and Boston are driven by those originally whose background is originally from the Azores. Over 500,000 Portuguese nationals and those of Portuguese heritage live in Canada, especially in the Toronto area.
The Greater Boston area has the highest number of Portuguese-Americans in the US, with the San Francisco Bay area the third-highest. Azores Airlines revolves around this ethnic demand (and tourism to the island), with easy connections to the Portuguese mainland also available.
This ethnic demand mainly drove TAP Air Portugal to open Ponta Delgada to Boston and Toronto in 2020. The country’s flag carrier used A321LRs, a type keenly used now – along with the A330-900 – from Lisbon and Porto.
Azores Airlines’ A321neos
As you’d expect, the Portuguese carrier’s fleet is not large, comprising seven aircraft: three A320s and four A321s. It has two A321neos (CS-TSF and TSG) and two A321neo LR variants (CS-TSH and TSI).
Its LRs have 190 seats (174 in economy and 16 in business), against 186 for its non-LR neos (170 in economy and 16 in business). ch-aviation.com shows that its LRs have an average age of 1.5 years, against 3.6 years for its neos. They replaced its A310-300s.
Azores Airlines Beats Air Transat For Longest Airbus A321LR Flight
Azores Airlines has beat out Air Transat for the longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight recorded. On January 3rd, the carrier flew a nonstop flight between Lisbon and Bogota, taking just under 10 hours. Air Transat’s flight clocked in at under nine hours. According to the airline, the flight highlights the versatility of the Airbus A321LR.
Azores Airlines flew the longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight. Photo: Airbus
Azores Airlines flies the longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight
The longest recorded commercial Airbus A321LR flight distinction now goes to Azores Airlines for a flight between Lisbon, Portugal, and Bogota, Colombia. On January 3rd, S46865 took off from Lisbon and flew nonstop for nine hours and 49 minutes to Bogota.
The longest commercial Airbus A321LR flight from Lisbon to Bogota. Photo: Flightradar24
According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft that operated the flight is registered as CS-TSI. A brand new aircraft only delivered a few months ago, this aircraft is in the Azores Airlines “Inspire” livery, which was fitting for this service. The return flight from Bogota to Lisbon took about nine hours and 20 minutes.
A new route for Azores Airlines?
This flight does not appear to be a regularly scheduled commercial flight. Azores Airlines flew the aircraft on a one-off, and Bogota does not appear on the airline’s website as a bookable flight.
There are no regularly scheduled nonstop flights between Bogota and Lisbon. TAP Portugal does not operate the route, and nor does its Star Alliance partner Avianca. With new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, TAP could jump in on the route or be beaten by Azores Airlines.
Azores Airlines is based out of Ponta Delgada’s João Paulo II Airport (PDL). The airline regularly flies to Lisbon but prefers to fly passengers with a stopover in the Azores Islands.
It is unclear why Azores Airlines flew this route. However, the airline does have room for expansion. The carrier’s Airbus A321LRs can do a lot out of PDL. Seating 190 passengers, these planes are primarily configured for leisure passengers. Azores Airlines could also get some connecting traffic for passengers heading to cities like Lisbon via a stop in the Azores. The airline is adding a not-quite-transatlantic route this summer.
The route from Lisbon to Bogota is about 4,200 nautical miles, which means the aircraft was likely lightly loaded and operating a special mission. So, if Azores Airlines planned to fill its 190-seater Airbus A321LRs flying to Colombia, it would likely operate the route with a stopover in Ponta Delgada on a Lisbon-Ponta Delgada-Bogota routing. The route from Ponta Delgada to Bogota would be about 3,300 nautical miles.
The Airbus A321LR
Since the Airbus A321LR took its maiden flight almost three years ago, the airline industry has savored over the next generation of long-haul narrowbody aircraft. The A321LR has a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles out of the Azores, according to Airbus. The plane was marketed for transatlantic operations and has been popular there.
The Airbus A321LR is not the longest-range narrowbody in Airbus’ portfolio. That distinction goes to the A321XLR, which is set to come out in 2023. Photo: Airbus
The longest Airbus A321LR flight actually happened in April of 2018. The plane flew from Mahé in Seychelles to Toulouse, France, on an Airbus test flight. This distance of 4,750 nautical miles took 11 hours to cover. The aircraft could easily make this flight because it was not filled with paying customers. Once you add customers, crew, baggage, and cargo, the aircraft’s range clocks in at 4,000 nautical miles or less, depending on how loaded the aircraft is.
The Airbus A321LR’s longest flight clocked in at around 11 hours. Photo: Airbus
Nevertheless, the Airbus A321LR is one versatile aircraft. With the Airbus A321XLR expected to come out in 2023, the aircraft, which has a range of 4,700 nautical miles, will likely do some incredible things. For now, the Airbus A321LR is one exciting aircraft for the future of long-haul narrowbody travel. Whether most people like flying long-haul in a narrowbody, however, is still being debated.
The Azorian carrier is expecting four of the type as part of a larger commitment for six A321neo Family jets from Air Lease Corporation. Thus far, it has taken delivery of the two standard variant A321neo. The remaining three LRs are due through 2020.
Parent firm Grupo SATA has shifted its subsidiary's fleet to an all-narrowbody make-up given its only widebody jet - A330-200 CS-TRY (msn 970) - last saw commercial service in November last year. Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows it was ferried to Lourdes/Tarbes in early June for storage.
According to internal company correspondence seen by the Lisbon daily newspaper Diário de Notícias, SATA management said simply by withdrawing the jet from service, they had managed to cut its operational costs by 50%.
"The operating impact of the A330 in 2018 (with the plane to fly and with sufficient crews) was negative to the tune of EUR8 million euro (USD8.91 million). The Airbus A330 has since been withdrawn and, given the current circumstances, has resulted in our annual losses having been halved on the year previous," it said.
In its FY2018 annual report, Grupo SATA said it needed to find options to make the A330 profitable given it had cost the firm millions in maintenance costs in 2018 alone.
Azores Airlines also operates three A320ceo alongside summer ACMI aircraft in the form of two A340-300s (wet-leased from Hi-Fly and Hi Fly Malta) and one B767-300(ER) (wet-leased from euroAtlantic Airways).
In terms of network, Azores Airlines plies routes connecting the Azorian archipelago with North America as well as Western Europe.
Azores Airlines (S4, Ponta Delgada) has confirmed it has now ended A310-300 operations after its last remaining aircraft of the type, CS-TGV (msn 651), conducted its last revenue flight on Monday, October 15.
According to the Azores-based carrier, the 26-year-old twinjet's final revenue service was flight S4 124 Ponta Delgada-Lisbon.
Azores Airlines has replaced its outgoing A310s with newer A321neo (of which it operates two) and one A330-200.
Azores airlines which is fully owned by Sociedade Açoreana de Transportes Aéreos (SATA) is modernizing its short-haul and transatlantic fleet with the A321neo and by 2019 with the longer range A321LR. The decision follows a growth strategy to expand into new transatlantic routes.
Azores airlines has been an Airbus customer since 1999 operating seven A310, A320 and A330 Airbus aircrafts across Europe, Canada and North America.
“Our mission is to bring the Azores to the world and the world to the Azores and we are happy to be investing in the Airbus A321neo aircraft to continue achieving this,” says Paulo Menezes, CEO of SATA Group. “The A321LR passenger comfort, performance, superior range and fuel efficiency match our long haul as well as regional needs. We have a vision of being ever stronger and more competitive in a demanding global world and also of being able to build an airline of excellence that can make its mark in the world of international commercial aviation and gradually and consistently conquer market share and visibility for the brand.”
"We are very excited about this order which confirms the A321LR as the single aisle aircraft of choice for transatlantic and regional routes,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer Customers. “No other single aisle aircraft can match the A321LR’s performance, fuel efficiency and productivity and with its wider fuselage passengers will also enjoy the most comfortable cabin experience.
The A321LR, the latest member of the market leading A320neo Family, will be able to fly longer routes of up to 4,000 nm. The A321LR will provide additional flexibility as it will have the longest range of any single aisle airliner, making it ideally suited to transatlantic routes and enable airlines to tap into new long haul markets which were not previously accessible with current single aisle aircraft. First deliveries will start in 2019.
The A320neo Family incorporates latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklet wing tip devices, which together deliver more than 15 percent in fuel savings from day one and 20 percent by 2020 with further cabin innovations. With nearly 4,800 orders received from 87 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market.
