Good morning, Lisbon. It's Wednesday, April 1, and we're looking at 18°C with clouds and some afternoon sun. No, the headline is not an April Fools' joke. Let's get into it.
🌬️ AIR QUALITY: 25 (Good). Light breeze off the Tagus.
🗞️ TOP STORY
RYANAIR HAS LEFT THE AZORES. HERE'S WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR SUMMER.
On Saturday, Ryanair operated its last ever flight to the Azores. As of March 29, every route the airline ran to the archipelago is gone. Six routes. Roughly 400,000 passenger seats a year. Wiped from the schedule.
The airline announced the pullout back in November, blaming airport fees set by ANA (the French-owned operator of Portugal's airports), a 120% increase in air traffic control charges since the pandemic, and the Portuguese government's €2 per passenger travel tax. Ryanair's chief commercial officer Jason McGuinness said the airline had "no alternative" but to relocate capacity to lower-cost airports elsewhere in Europe.
It's classic Ryanair brinkmanship, and this time they weren't bluffing.
The impact is real. Ryanair was the main low-cost carrier connecting the Azores to mainland Europe, running direct flights from Lisbon, Porto, London, and Brussels. Those routes made €30-50 weekend trips to Ponta Delgada possible. Without them, you're looking at TAP or Azores Airlines (SATA), both of which charge more and fly less frequently. The days of the €9.99 Ryanair flash sale to one of Europe's most beautiful island chains are over.
For Lisbon-based expats, this hits in a specific way. The Azores were the go-to affordable weekend escape: crater lakes, hot springs, whale watching, green volcanic landscapes, all a two-hour flight away for the price of a nice dinner. That accessibility just got a lot harder. You can still get there, but expect to pay more, fly less flexibly, and plan further ahead.
For the Azores themselves, it's a serious blow. The short-term rental association has warned the impact on the local economy could be severe. The vast majority of their guests apparently flew in on Ryanair. Without that pipeline of budget travellers, hotels, guesthouses, and tour operators built around low-cost volume are exposed.
ANA and the Portuguese government have both expressed "surprise" at Ryanair's decision, which is a strange word for something announced four months ago. The government has pointed out that Azores airport fees are among the lowest in its network and that Ryanair has received "tens of millions of euros in incentives." Whether that's enough to bring them back remains to be seen.
Bottom line: If you want to visit the Azores, often called the Hawaii of Europe, this summer, book now. Fewer seats means higher prices, and they're only going one direction.
⚡ QUICK HITS
Portugal vs USA. The seleção played the United States at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta last night. Kick-off was midnight Lisbon time, and this writer has a bedtime. If you stayed up for it, reply and tell me whether the result was what you were hoping for. Full recap in tomorrow's edition.
Consumer confidence fell in March to its lowest level since December 2023, according to data published Monday. The mix of rising fuel prices, inflation fears, and the Middle East energy shock is weighing on how people feel about the economy. This tracks with the Banco de Portugal's downgraded growth forecast we covered yesterday.
Easter countdown. Today is the last full working day this week where everything is guaranteed to be open. Thursday some offices may close early. Friday is a public holiday. If you've been putting off that AIMA appointment, Financas visit, or notary trip, today is the day.
Miguel Oliveira on the podium. Portuguese MotoGP rider Miguel Oliveira finished third on his BMW on Saturday. A bright spot for Portuguese motorsport fans in a week that needed one.
🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY
If you don't know it's there, you'll walk straight past it. Lost In is hidden behind an Indian textile shop on a side street in Principe Real. You step through what looks like a fabric store, past the hanging scarves and stacked cushions, and emerge onto a sheltered terrace overlooking half of Lisbon. It's one of the best-kept secrets in a neighbourhood that doesn't have many secrets left.
The kitchen does an Asian-Portuguese fusion that sounds like it shouldn't work but consistently does. The menu draws from Thai, Indian, and Japanese influences, all filtered through Portuguese ingredients and paired with wines from local producers. The cocktails are original and well-made. It's the kind of food that feels like discovery rather than obligation.
The terrace is the real draw. Wicker chairs, a fountain, greenery everywhere, and a panoramic view across the city that makes you wonder why you've been paying for rooftop bars. During the day it's calm and sunlit. At dinner it's warm and candlelit. Either way, it feels like you've found somewhere that exists just for the people who know about it.
Principe Real area. Open for lunch and dinner. Cards accepted. Expect to pay €25-40 per person with drinks. Book ahead for dinner, especially on weekends. lostinrestaurante.com
Insider tip: Go for a late lunch on a weekday. The terrace gets full sun, the crowds are thin, and you'll have the view almost to yourself.
📅 WHAT'S ON THIS WEEK
Good Friday (Fri April 3) Public holiday. Banks, government offices, most shops closed.
Easter Sunday (Sun April 5) Public holiday.
Tame Impala (Sun April 5) MEO Arena. Easter Sunday show.
Rosalia (Wed April 8) MEO Arena. Tickets still available.
Comeres D'Aqui Gastronomic Fortnight (Until April 12) Easter-themed gastronomy festival across Loule, Algarve. If you're heading south for the weekend, worth building a meal around.
📜 ON THIS DAY
April 1, 1957. The BBC's flagship current affairs programme Panorama broadcast a three-minute film showing a Swiss family carefully harvesting spaghetti from a tree. The footage was shot in Ticino, narrated with complete seriousness by presenter Richard Dimbleby, and showed women gently pulling long strands of pasta from branches and laying them in the sun to dry.
Hundreds of viewers phoned the BBC afterwards to ask where they could buy a spaghetti tree. Others wanted to know how to grow one at home. The BBC's response, reportedly, was to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." It remains one of the greatest April Fools' hoaxes ever broadcast and a reminder that even the most trusted institutions enjoy a good wind-up. On that note: everything else in today's newsletter is real. We promise.
See you tomorrow morning.
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