According to Publituris, United Airlines cancelled the operation that would start on May 24, 2024, until September 23, 2024, and which would connect Faro directly to New York/Newark, with four weekly flights carried out using a Boeing 757-200.

According to United, these changes result from the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has interrupted “some certification activities”.

This operation would make United the only American airline to fly directly to Faro, from New York/Newark.

According to information circulating in the North American press, United has not completely eliminated the route, confirming that it is “postponing the operation until next summer”.

“In total, this operation would represent around 25 thousand round-trip seats distributed over 130 flights”, says Pedro Castro, director of SkyExpert, an aviation, airport, and tourism consultancy company, considering that “this is a drop in the ocean of flights and places departing from Faro, but it represents a huge bucket of cold water for everything that this route and this company brought to the region”.

“If there was a need to cut any flights operated by Boeing 757s due to the crisis with the 737 MAX and the deliveries of these aircraft that have already affected Ryanair, United could, for example, have chosen to cancel the second daily flight between New York and Porto. However, they preferred to cancel this new destination. This corresponds to the typical behaviour of companies: in case of doubt, they prefer to consolidate what already exists than to open new destinations that require duplication of resources and investment”, highlights Pedro Castro.

“American tourist numbers have seen notable development in the Algarve, but without direct and non-stop air access, their growth becomes more difficult. Having an American company flying would be even better due to their dominance of the market and sales in the United States”, highlights the director of SkyExpert.

Pedro Castro concludes: “If I were the director of Algarve Tourism, I would try to entice Azores Airlines to increase, extend, and/or adjust the times of the new Faro-Ponta Delgada flights to connect with the flights from Ponta Delgada to the airport of JFK; secondly, next winter, United will launch its New York-Marrakesh flight with the Boeing 767 and only three times a week. Traditionally, Air Transat's Toronto-Faro flights have existed for years and began transporting seniors and golfers looking for mild temperatures to spend the winter. This could be an opportunity that could help Algarve Tourism to combat its seasonality”.

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