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| Founded | 1958 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Sal[1] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Destinations | 9[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | State of Cabo Verde (100%) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Sal, Cape Verde | ||||||
| Key people | Pedro Barros,CEO[1] | ||||||
| Employees | 200 | ||||||
| Website | caboverdeairlines.com | ||||||
Cabo Verde Airlines, formerly namedTACV, is an international airline based inCape Verde. It connects three continents with non-stop flights from their hub atAmílcar Cabral International Airport onSal Island.
Cabo Verde Airlines was established in 1958. In July 1975, following the independence of Cape Verde, the airline was designated as the national carrier.[3] It became a state-owned company in 1983.[4] The airline was namedTACV (acronym forTransportes Aereos de Cabo Verde), and its logo included a blue wing with seven lines that represented the number of domestic inter-island flights offered by the airline.[citation needed] Until 1984, it served 8 of the 9 inhabited islands. Unacceptable safety standards at some of the country's other airports, namelyEsperadinha Airport andAgostinho Neto Airport, led to the cancellation of flights to those islands. Subsequently, Brava's airport closed in 2003 and Santo Antão's closed in 2007. European flights began in 1985, with Lisbon as the first European destination.[5] Also that year, the airline began services toBoston, Massachusetts using a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 provided byLAM Mozambique Airlines.[6]
In 1996, Cabo Verde Airlines received its firstBoeing 757-200, brand new from the Boeing factory, considered as “the pride and joy of Cape Verde Airlines", baptized with the nameB.Leza. With B.Leza (registration D4-CBG), the airline began flying to Europe with its own aircraft and crew.[citation needed] Cabo Verde Airlines was the country's only airline until 1998 whenCabo Verde Express began operations. All of its international flights were at Sal until 2004. For several years, the two 757s served all of Cabo Verde Airlines' international routes.[6]
In June 2015, the airline opened two new routes toRecife andProvidence, Rhode Island, the latter replaced Boston'sLogan International Airport, also its flight withBissau resumed and served as a biweekly flight via Dakar, operated by theATR 72.[7]
In August 2017, the Cape Verdean government signed an agreement withLoftleidir Icelandic, part of theIcelandair Group, which turned the administration of Cabo Verde Airlines to the Icelandic group. The new administration discontinued the hub atPraia International Airport and moved the airline's hub toAmílcar Cabral International Airport. The new hub serving the Americas, Europe and Africa.[8][9]
On November 5, 2017,Icelandair transferred the first Boeing 757-200 to the airline which was used to reinforce existing routes and to operate daily flights toLisbon and flights toFortaleza and Recife.[citation needed]
In May 2018, the airline announced it would rebrand asCabo Verde Airlines in order to strengthen the connection of the national air carrier with its country. Cabo Verde Airlines has increased the country's connectivity with the world, with new routes to Salvador de Bahia, Milan, Paris, Lisbon, and Rome. The carrier also increased routes to Recife and Fortaleza with two leased 757-200s.[5]
On March 1, 2019, Loftleidir paid 1.3 million euros (or 51% of shares) for the heavily indebted Cabo Verde Airlines, which resulted in it becoming the majority owner of the company. Soon after, Loftleidir nominated a new CEO for Cabo Verde Airlines. In June 2021, it was announced that Cabo Verde Airlines would get a new board of directors soon and start the restructuring and resizing phase of the company as well.[10]
In July 2023, Cabo Verde Airlines added its firstBoeing 737 MAX 8 to its fleet, utilizing it for international services.[11]
As of February 2025, Cabo Verde Airlines serves the following scheduled destinations:[12][2]
As of February 2022[update], the Cabo Verde Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[17][better source needed]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||||
| Boeing 737-700 | 1 | — | 12 | 108 | 120 | [citation needed] | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 1 | — | — | 179 | 179 | [citation needed] | |
| Total | 2 | — | |||||
As TACV, the airline operated the following aircraft:[citation needed]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-300 | 4 | 1994 | 2010 | |
| ATR 42-500 | 1 | 2007 | 2017 | |
| ATR 72-500 | 3 | |||
| Auster D.5 | 3 | 1962 | Unknown | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 1 | 2002 | 2004 | |
| Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 2015 | 2015 | Leased fromGo2Sky |
| Boeing 737-800 | 2 | 2012 | 2016 | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 6 | 1996 | 2022 | |
| Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander | 3 | 1971 | 1984 | |
| CASA C-212 Aviocar | 2 | 1992 | 1993 | |
| de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide | 1 | 1959 | Unknown | |
| de Havilland DH.104 Dove | 3 | 1962 | Unknown | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 2 | 1977 | 2004 | |
| Dornier 228 | 1 | 1999 | 1999 | Crashed asFlight 5002 |
| Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia | 1 | 1989 | 1994 | |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 2 | 1973 | 1998 |
Media related toCabo Verde Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
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