Pico Airport ( pt, Aeroporto do Pico) is an airport located from
Madalena Madalena is a feminine given name. It is a Portuguese form of Magdalene. It may refer to:
People
*Madalena Alberto, Portuguese actress, singer and composer
* Madalena Boavida, East Timorese politician
*Maddalena Casulana, (c. 1544–c. 1590), I ...
on the Portuguese island of
Pico in the archipelago of the
Azores
)
, motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace")
, anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores")
, image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg
, map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union
, map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
.
History
The first studies were completed to construct a runway for the remote island of Pico during the post-War era when, instead, a final decision in 1946 saw the construction of an aerodrome on the island of
Faial.
[Rui Fernando da Costa Medeiros (June 2009), p.2] It was only on 5 May 1976, when the construction of a runway and terminal building began on the island of Pico, under the initiative of the Portuguese army, but completed under the administration of the Regional Government of the Azores.
[
The runway was inaugurated on 25 April 1982: at the time the runway was only long, with limited capabilities for large aircraft.][ This infrastructure was constructed in a morphological area that only permitted its construction oriented east to west, making it susceptible to dominant southerly winds, raising questions as to its original construction.][
In 1990, with the arrival of new ATP aircraft for SATA Air Açores' fleet, the decision was taken to extend the runway, to improve operations with this type of aircraft.][ With the completion of this extension, the runway reached a length and widened to .][ A dozen years later, the runway was once again extended in order to support future medium-size jet or turboprop aircraft: at its inauguration the new runway extended to , a new terminal building was concluded with parking area, new control tower, first aid station and firefighting centers, in addition to new cargo warehouse.][
In April 2005, Pico received its first direct flight from Lisbon.][ The airport had regular connections with Lisbon via TAP Portugal (til 2015) and Azores Airlines (from 2015 and as of today) and inter-island flights to other islands: in 2008, SATA Air Açores was responsible for movement of 58,000 passengers from the airport.][
]
Geography
The airport on Pico is situated from the urban center of Madalena Madalena is a feminine given name. It is a Portuguese form of Magdalene. It may refer to:
People
*Madalena Alberto, Portuguese actress, singer and composer
* Madalena Boavida, East Timorese politician
*Maddalena Casulana, (c. 1544–c. 1590), I ...
, at an altitude of above sea level.[ It is divided between the two ]civil parishes
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
of Bandeiras
The ''Bandeirantes'' (), literally "flag-carriers", were slavers, explorers, adventurers, and fortune hunters in early Colonial Brazil. They are largely responsible for Brazil's great expansion westward, far beyond the Tordesillas Line of 149 ...
and Santa Luzia on the northern coast of the island, located along the regional E.R.1-1ª roadway between Madalena and São Roque do Pico
São Roque do Pico () is a municipality in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, occupying most of the northern side of the island of Pico. As of 2021, it has 3,221 inhabitants spread through five freguesias (civil parishes) in an area of 142. ...
.[
Managed by ''SATA Gestão de Aeródromos'', it has an operational runway (oriented 09/27), with a width of .][ The runway is illuminated and can handle evening flight operations (although rare), using VFR or IFR flight rules, while approximation instruments are based on PI locators. The installation of an ILS system was adjudicated around 2010.][Rui Fernando da Costa Medeiros (June 2009), p.3]
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Pico Airport:
Statistics
See also
* Aviation in the Azores
References
;Citations
;Sources
*
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Airports in the Azores
Madalena, Azores