Airside International talks with Antonio Portugal, handling operations manager at SATA, the Portuguese carrier based in the Azores
Q. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT SATA AND ITS HISTORY?
A. SATA has been flying as an airline for 75 years and is in fact the oldest Portuguese airline. As a Group, we have two airlines: SATA Air Azores and SATA International. SATA Air Azores flies between the islands of the Azores and SATA International operates to the Portuguese mainland, the island of Madeira, Europe (Frankfurt, Munich, London Gatwick, Madrid and Las Palmas), the US (Boston and Oakland) and Canada (Toronto and Montreal).
SATA Air Azores operates a fleet of six smaller aircraft, while SATA International has a fleet of three A320s and three A310s. A new A330 is joining the fleet next week (late January).
Our main focus is to connect and fly daily to all nine islands of the Azores (all of them have an airport), from the Azores to the Portuguese mainland (Lisbon, Oporto and Faro) and to our Azorean communities in the US and Canada.
Besides flying, one of the main activities SATA carries out in the Azores is its handling business. We are the only handling company operating at any of the Azorean airports.
Q. CAN YOU OFFER SOME THOUGHTS ON YOUR HOME BASE AT JOAO PAULO II AIRPORT, AND THE NATURE OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AIRPORT OPERATOR THERE?
A. Joao Paulo II Airport is the busiest airport in the Azores and SATA’s home base.
SATA has maintenance facilities for aircraft and equipment at the gateway. As the main carrier at Joao Paulo II Airport, SATA has a great relationship with the airport authorities and works together on all relevant facilities and infrastructure, including check-in desks, gates and stands.
Q. WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS AS SATA’S HANDLING OPERATIONS MANAGER?
A. As SATA handling operations manager I have responsibility for co-ordinating all handling activities performed at all Azorean airports. This involves self-handling for SATA and all other third-party carriers that ask for our services. I work closely with a great team of around 500 people.
Q. WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU AND YOUR GROUND HANDLING TEAM USE TO SUPPORT SATA’S GROUND HANDLING OPERATIONS?
A. GSE employed by SATA for Joao Paulo II Airport handling operations incorporate:
