NEWS

By John Howell

Green rolled out the red carpet Thursday.

There was a water canon welcome, lapel pins especially designed for the occasion, gourmet Portuguese specialties, and many, many speeches.

SATA Azores Airlines was back at Green Airport with weekly service through the summer, with the prospect of year-round weekly service if the demand is there next year.

This is the third international service from Green. Last June, Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde (TACV) transferred its flights to Cape Verde from Boston’s Logan Airport to Green. Also last June, Condor Airlines initiated seasonal service between Green and Frankfurt, Germany.

The Green service to the Azores comes in addition to daily flights the Azores Airlines is currently offering from Boston.

Joe Serodio, now retired, who worked at Maptours and was a founder of the airlines in 1985, saw the return of service a natural extension, “which is the future of the archipelago.” He said Green is strategically located to serve the Portuguese- American population in the state as well as nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut.

It was an observation made by most of Thursday’s speakers who highlighted the convenience of Green and the opportunities the service means to businesses and people.

“It’s right in our wheelhouse,” said Peter Frazier, interim president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation. “It’s so great to have them back.”

Service to the islands was initiated on a charter flight basis in the 1980s that operated from the state hangar on Airport Road followed by scheduled service in 2003. Scheduled service was dropped in 2008.

With U.S. Customs and Border Protection that became available when the Sundlun Terminal opened in 1996, Green is equipped to accommodate international flights on an ongoing basis.

Service between Green and the Azores was great news for Cindy Vieira, whose husband Paul was among the 42 passengers on Thursday’s fight. She said her husband, and often the full family, make three or four trips annually to the islands.

“This is the best thing. There’s no traffic and it’s close,” she said. The Vieiras live in East Providence. She said the fare to Green was about $50 more than from Boston, money that she willingly spent.

“This is much better and more convenient,” she said.

“This is a big win for us,” Mayor Scott Avedisian said in welcoming remarks. As he did when Southwest recently announced it would start service to Reagan National Airport in November, RIAC Board Chairman John Savage urged people to use the service because, “if you don’t it won’t grow.”

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