About The Airport
PDL, your opportunity destination in 5 key points:
1. Strategic location
Situated in São Miguel Island, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Ponta Delgada Airport is the main gateway to the Azorean Islands, and from the islands to Europe and North America.
2. A growing market
Ponta Delgada Airport reached 2.8 million passengers in 2025, resulting in an increase of 2% in traffic vs 2024, far beyond 2019 levels (+38%).
3. A booming leisure destination
2025 was also a good year to the Azores with 631,000 international tourists. During this year, unserved routes such as PDL-CPH and PDL-BRU recorded strong performance, clearly confirming the untapped demand on these markets. In adition, underserved routes, in particular PDL-BCN and PDL-MAD showed robust growth, underlining both their consolidation and the opportunity to further increase capacity.
4. Strong development opportunities in PDL
1/5 of the total passengers flying to and from PDL still travel via a connecting hub, showing the potential and need for further direct capacity.
5. A high-end destination within Reach
5/4* Hotels represent 78% of the total Hotel capacity in the Azores, while local lodging makes up 48% of the total bed capacity (vs 52% in hotels), providing tourists with affordable accommodation options throughout the year.
The Azores: a year-round destination, sustainable by Nature!
- The Azorean Archipelago, constituted of nine volcanic islands, is located in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean, halfway between Europe and North America. São Miguel, whose main city is Ponta Delgada, is the most visited island with 63% of the total market.
- The genesis of the Azores is found upon 1766 volcanos, nine of which are still active. The landscape is filled with dry calderas, craters lakes, fumaroles, and thermal water springs. The Azores have hydro-thermal resources, from various springs of natural carbonic water, waterfalls, and iron water pools, which have been used and exploited for centuries. The Azores have been elected Europe´s leading Adventure destination from 2020 - 2024, and World´s Leading Adventure Destination in 2023 and 2024, by the World Travel Awards.
- The Azores, due to its mild climate, is a destination to visit any time of the year. The expression 'nature all around you' can be used to describe the Azorean Archipelago. The Azores are the ideal place to enjoy unmatched adventure experiences in a natural setting, such as whale-watching, scuba diving, hiking, canyoning, canoeing, paragliding.
Find out more at https://www.visitazores.com/en