Aviation in the Azores Aviation in the Azores Aviation in the Azores is part of the greater history of aviation in Portugal, and involves the historical use of the archipelago of the Azores by North American, South American and European pioneers of aviation. The Azores is strategically located in the centre of the North Atlantic Ocean between the continents of North America and Europe, and has played a historical role in trans-Atlantic navigation. The three primary airfields of the Azores are: Due to the relative distance between the islands of the archipelago, aviation is in many instances more viable than boat transportation, with inter-island
Azores Miguel; Angra do Heroísmo and Praia da Vitória on the island of Terceira, and Horta on Faial. Three of these, Ponta Delgada, Angra and Horta are considered capital/administrative cities to the regional government: homes to the President (Ponta Delgada), the Judiciary (Angra) and the Regional Assembly (Horta). Angra also serves as the ecclesiastical centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Angra, the episcopal see of the Azores. According to the 2011 Census, population in the Azores was 246,746 at a density of . The Azores were uninhabited when Portuguese navigators arrived in the early 15th century; the settlement process was