Flights to Terceira in 2026: which airlines fly to Lajes, and from where

Terceira has one airport, Lajes, and in 2026 the list of airlines that use it changed a good deal. Ryanair left, TAP added a route from Porto, Azores Airlines opened a direct link to Madeira, and United has announced a flight from Newark for 2027. What matters for your trip is which of these routes run in the months you want to travel. This guide goes through them by where you are starting from, with the year of every figure. Schedules change each season, so check the airline's own booking page before you build a trip around any of them.

Lajes is 15 kilometres north-east of Angra do Heroísmo, on the other side of the island from the old town where most visitors stay. The runway, 3,310 metres long, is shared with the Portuguese air force and a United States detachment. Passengers use the civil terminal, the Aerogare Civil das Lajes.

From the terminal you go on by hire car, taxi or bus. The EVT timetable for the airport bus prints a fare of 2.95 euros, and most trips change in Praia da Vitória and take about 70 minutes to Angra. That timetable dates from 2021 and was still the one EVT linked in 2026, so check it before you land. Our guide to getting around Terceira has the details.

Lisbon is the main gateway. TAP and Azores Airlines both fly Lisbon to Terceira, and for summer 2026 (29 March to 31 October) Azores Airlines added two weekly frequencies on that route.

From Porto, TAP opened a direct route to Terceira on 1 July 2026, part of the plan for 2026 it presented at the BTL travel fair. When it was first announced, in December 2025, it was planned as four flights a week.

Ryanair is no longer an option. On 20 November 2025 it announced that it would cancel every route to and from the Azores from 29 March 2026, blaming airport charges, and it confirmed the decision in January 2026. Terceira lost its low-cost links to the mainland with it. If you have an older guide or blog post that recommends Ryanair to Lajes, that advice is out of date.

Direct flights from elsewhere in Europe are few and seasonal. Edelweiss started flying from Zurich to Terceira on Wednesday 25 June 2025, once a week until 10 September that year, and for summer 2026 it offered up to four flights a week to the Azores, shared between Terceira and Ponta Delgada. The Swiss route is a summer service only.

From most other European cities, the usual way in is a connection in Lisbon or Porto, or a flight to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel followed by a short inter-island hop. In summer 2026 Azores Airlines kept its routes from Paris and Barcelona to the archipelago and brought back the seasonal Frankfurt route, but those land in Ponta Delgada, not on Terceira.

Since 7 May 2026, Azores Airlines has flown directly between Terceira and Funchal. The airline's plan was one flight a week, leaving Terceira on Thursdays and coming back the next day, with a second weekly flight on Mondays from June to September. Outside those months it returns to one a week. If you want to combine the two archipelagos, this is the simplest way to do it without going through Lisbon.

Many Azorean families have relatives in New England and Canada, and Azores Airlines serves that market. For summer 2026 it planned more than 50 flights a week between the Azores and Boston, Toronto, New York and Montreal. Not all of these land at Lajes, and the frequencies to Terceira change with the season, so look at the route from your own city rather than the network as a whole.

In August 2026 United Airlines announced a route from Newark to Terceira for summer 2027, with three flights a week. The regional government welcomed it as a link between the North American market and the central islands. Treat it as a plan until you can book it.

SATA Air Açores runs the inter-island flights. In summer 2026 it planned about 572 flights a week on sixteen routes with seven aircraft, and it added extra flights between Ponta Delgada and Terceira from June to September because that route was heavily booked in 2025. The other central islands, Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial, are short hops from Lajes, but which of them has a direct flight on your day depends on the timetable, so check before you plan a round trip.

The 61-euro "Azores Fare" for flights between the islands is only for people with tax residence in the Azores. Visitors pay normal fares, which vary by date.

In summer there is also the ferry. Atlânticoline called at Praia da Vitória and Angra from June to the end of September 2026, but in the winter of 2025/26 no passenger ferry served Terceira at all. From October to May, you fly.

Most of the changes in this guide come down to the season. The IATA summer season runs from the end of March to the end of October, and that is when the Porto route, the Zurich flights, the extra Lisbon frequencies, the second weekly Madeira flight and most of the North American capacity are on. In winter, Terceira is served mainly from Lisbon, from Ponta Delgada and the other islands, and by whichever North American flights run that winter. If you are travelling between November and March, start with Lisbon and Ponta Delgada and work back from there.

Does Ryanair fly to Terceira?

No. Ryanair cancelled all its Azores routes from 29 March 2026, including Terceira's.

Is there a direct flight from Porto to Terceira?

Yes. TAP started a direct Porto to Terceira route on 1 July 2026. Check the current schedule on TAP's site.

Can I fly directly from Madeira to Terceira?

Yes. Azores Airlines has flown Funchal to Terceira since 7 May 2026, once a week on Thursdays with a second flight on Mondays from June to September.

How do I get from Lajes airport to Angra do Heroísmo?

By hire car, taxi or the EVT bus. Angra is 15 kilometres away, and the bus usually changes in Praia da Vitória.

• Lajes aerodrome, Portuguese AIP (AD 2 LPLA)
• Ryanair to cancel all Azores flights from March 2026, Ryanair
• Ryanair reaffirms its exit from the Azores, ECO
• TAP strategic plan for 2026, TAP press release
• TAP launches Porto-Terceira, Essential Business
• SATA summer operation 2026, Azores Airlines
• New Terceira-Madeira route, Azores Airlines
• Edelweiss flies to Terceira for the first time, Edelweiss
• Edelweiss summer 2026, aeroTELEGRAPH
• United to link Terceira and Newark in 2027, 24noticias
• EVT airport to Angra bus timetable
• Atlânticoline summer 2026 timetables, Cais do Pico