AIRPORT INFORMATION
1. LAJES AIRPORT is a multipurpose military/civilian airfield, ICAO/IATA codes LPLA/TER. Portuguese Air Force Air Base nº 4 also known as "
Base das Lajes" or "
Lajes field" is located to the east side of the 15-33 runway. On the opposite side there is a modern rebuilt civilian terminal, handling commuter, domestic, technical stops and international flights to / from and beyond Terceira island.
In order to use Terceira island Lajes airport as a destination or intermediate stop, operators need to apply for a
PPR. All relevant procedures for this purpose can be found through the Civilian Terminal
website, via this
direct link or by direct contact with airport operations at phone + 351 295 545 461. Alternatively, the
PPR may be obtained through any of the ground handling agents.
This facility receives both domestic and international traffic, is a EU point of entry provided with customs services with Schengen and non Schengen passenger approved areas. Ground handling services are offered by
Groundlink,
Sata Azores Airlines and
Wexjet Support or via the civilian terminal webpage (ground administration and supervision key).
For arrivals/departures boards and other relevant information at the civilian terminal, please click
here.
The civilian terminal has a convenient passenger lounge sponsored by Sata Azores Airlines, located airside, on the left hand side of the boarding hall, after the security checkpoint and a VIP lounge at arrivals level, dedicated for technical stops.
The latest statistics for travelling passengers through Lajes airport shows an average of 866.578 passengers passing through in 2022 and 964.883 in 2023, with the 1 million barrier expected to be exceeded in 2024.
Lajes sees domestic and international traffic all year round. On average, 20 domestic services link Terceira island with the other eight islands in the Azores (by Sata Air Açores) , plus links to Oporto and Lisbon (Azores Airlines, Tap and Ryanair). Internationally, there are seasonal summer flights to Amsterdam (TUI Netherlands), London heathrow (British Airways) and London stansted (Ryanair). Further to these, Azores Airlines operates year round services to Toronto and Boston, with services to New york jfk and Montreal having started in the 2022 summer timetable.
2. What makes Terceira - Lajes airport a convenient stopover point?
a) Lajes is provided with one of the longest and largest runways in the Northern hemisphere, 3312 meters long x 50 meters wide;
b) Has a modern terminal building handling all kinds of civilian traffic;
c) Has full rescue services to ARFF Category 8 according to the AIP Portugal, regularly published by the Portuguese regulatory agency NAV Portugal. Please note that aircraft category 9 criteria or higher, have operated at Lajes, namely Airbus A340-300, Boeing 747 and 777-300ER. Operators can decide, depending on a previous risk evaluation, to fly into Lajes;
d) Is open 24/7. There are no night curfews;
e) Appropriate security is provided at no cost to the operators;
f) Convenient fuelling services provided by GALP Aviação. Refuelling with passengers on board is directed to specific parking spots for this purpose, at Echo 08 and 09, just outside the fire department building. Please note the fire department is a service under the USAF umbrella, they do not detach a fire engine to other parts of the airfield, except in emergency situations.
g) Catering service provided by AAC - Assistência a Aeronaves e Catering Lda;
h) Lajes is one of the leading diversion sites in the North atlantic track in case of emergencies (medical or technical reasons) and was in the past one of NASA's Space Shuttle designated TAL - Transatlantic Abort Landing sites;
i) Plenty of hotel availability and transportation. Driving times downtown are just a mere 15 to 20 minutes. For crew and passengers resting there are several hotels at Terceira. Please turn to our hotels and resorts page for a detailed guide to these units.
3. For a comprehensive description about Lajes Airport and its history, read here.
4. Carbon Tax. As many operators are aware, the Portuguese state passed a law in 2023, extending the carbon tax to aircraft below 19 seats. Decree 242/2023, dated july 28th 2023, applies this tax to aircraft, passengers and operators. However, as the Azores are an autonomous territory, this tax needs to be accepted and implemented by the Azores Regional government. Until the fall of 2024, this tax had not been charged and ongoing talks state that it may never be implemented, territory wise in the Azores. So, before flying into Lajes, operators are requested to check with the aiport ops or through the respective handling agent, to confirm if the carbon tax is already active or not. 