The aircraft will operate on an ACMI (wet lease) basis during the months of peak summer demand.

According to the SATA Group, this temporary reinforcement “aims to increase operational robustness and provide a better response to peak demand typical of the high season.”

With the aircraft, the company’s fleet now has eight aircrafts, including six Bombardier Dash Q400 models and two Bombardier Dash Q200 models.

The new aircraft will allow for more seats and cargo capacity in the network, with a capacity for 78 passengers.

The decision to include this aircraft through the ACMI model came “after analyzing different leasing options, which were not possible due to the lack of viable long-term leasing solutions on the market.”

This summer, SATA expects to operate more than 550 weekly connections between the Azores archipelago islands, which represents around 80 flights per day.

The group operates between the islands with SATA Air Açores, with Azores Airlines responsible for flights to and from the archipelago.