Azores Situation Report Wednesday 20th August 2025

Construction work has begun on the drone track on Faial Island.

Construction work began this week on a drone runway on the island of Faial in the Azores, which the Regional Government intends to use for test flights by companies involved in innovative technologies.

“This is another step we’re taking today toward completing the drone track, which will support the Maritime Cluster we’re building,” emphasized Mário Rui Pinho, Regional Secretary for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, speaking to reporters after a visit to the facility, which will cost approximately €300,000.

The Faial drone track, which will be 300 meters long and 20 meters wide, is being built on land donated by the Horta City Council, which was used as the island’s landfill in recent decades. This land will now be enhanced by an investment integrated into a broader plan.

“The research vessel is expected to arrive in Horta in December, the Tecnopolo-Martec (marine science research centre) should be ready in June, the coastal station is under development, and we’re working on implementing the Technological Free Zone,” explained the minister, referring to the investments the government is making to flesh out the Azores Maritime Cluster.

The Free Technological Zone (ZLT) is a space covering over 150 square kilometres, located north of Faial, which is intended to be used for all types of robotic equipment testing, both in the air and at sea, and which can be exploited not only by companies but also by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force.

This was emphasized in September 2023 by the then Chief of the Navy General Staff, Gouveia e Melo, during a visit to the land where the Faial drone runway is now being built.

“This runway and its significance, and what it can contribute, is a digital economy, focused on the sea, in which the product is not the value of the materials themselves, but the value of the knowledge associated with these materials,” the admiral explained at the time during a visit to the Azores, emphasizing that the infrastructure could have civilian, military, and, above all, scientific uses.

The new drone runway currently under construction in Faial will be managed by the Azores Maritime Development Association (ADAFMA), which also manages the Azores Maritime School. The school has received interest from companies and consortia interested in conducting test flights.

“There aren’t many runways like these available for testing, given the atmospheric variability we have here. Climate variability, surprisingly, is a very positive aspect, because it allows for very accurate proof-of-concept tests very quickly,” explained Ana Rodrigues, director of the Azores Maritime School.

Earthworks on the drone runway are expected to be completed within approximately a month, followed by a drone testing phase before final paving.

One dead and two injured in accident between two motorcycles in São Miguel

A collision between two motorcycles in the village of Água de Pau, in the municipality of Lagoa, left one fatality and two injured on Sunday, according to a firefighter source.

The fatal victim, a man whose death was confirmed at the scene, was the driver of one of the motorcycles involved in the accident, the commander of the Vila Franca do Campo Volunteer Fire Department, Tiago Santos, told Lusa news agency.

The injured, a man and a woman, were transported by firefighters to the emergency room at the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, he added.

The accident occurred on the expressway, in the direction of Ponta Delgada – Lagoa, at the exit that gives access to Pisão.

The alert for the occurrence was given to the firefighters at 10:16 am.

The circumstances in which the accident occurred are being investigated by the police authorities.

“I was told that the two motorcycles were traveling in the same direction. Something happened, and they collided, and then both ended up skidding off the road,” said the commander of the Vila Franca do Campo Volunteer Fire Department.

Members of the Volunteer Fire Department of Vila Franca do Campo and Ponta Delgada, as well as the PSP, were present at the scene.