Cabo Verde Airlines facts for kids
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| Founded | 1958 |
|---|---|
| Hubs | Amílcar Cabral International Airport |
| Fleet size | 2 |
| Destinations | 6 |
| Parent company | State of Cabo Verde (100%) |
| Headquarters | Sal, Cape Verde |
| Key people | Sara Pires (CEO) |
| Employees | 200 |
Cabo Verde Airlines is an international airline that flies from the country of Cape Verde. It connects three continents with direct flights. Their main base, or "hub," is at Amílcar Cabral International Airport on Sal Island.
Contents
History of Cabo Verde Airlines
How the Airline Started
Cabo Verde Airlines began in 1958. In July 1975, Cape Verde became an independent country. The airline was then chosen as the national airline. This meant it was the main airline for the country. In 1983, it became a company owned by the government.
The airline was first called TACV. This was short for Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde. Its logo had a blue wing with seven lines. These lines showed the seven domestic flights between the islands. Until 1984, the airline flew to 8 of the 9 islands where people lived. Some smaller airports were not safe enough. Because of this, flights to those islands stopped. For example, Brava's airport closed in 2003. Santo Antão's airport closed in 2007.
Flying to Other Countries
In 1985, Cabo Verde Airlines started flying to Europe. Lisbon, Portugal, was the first European city they flew to. In the same year, they began flights to Boston, Massachusetts in the USA. They used a large plane called a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 for this.
In 1996, the airline got its first Boeing 757-200 plane. It was brand new from the factory! This plane was named "B.Leza" and was very special. With B.Leza, the airline could fly to Europe with its own planes and crew. Cabo Verde Airlines was the only airline in Cape Verde until 1998. That's when another airline, Cabo Verde Express, started flying. Until 2004, all international flights left from Sal. For many years, two Boeing 757s flew all of Cabo Verde Airlines' international routes.
In June 2015, the airline added two new routes. They started flying to Recife in Brazil and Providence, Rhode Island in the USA. The Providence flight replaced the Boston one. They also restarted flights to Bissau, which went through Dakar. These flights used a smaller plane called an ATR 72.
New Management and Rebranding
In August 2017, the government of Cape Verde made a deal. They agreed with Loftleidir Icelandic, which is part of the Icelandair Group. This group from Iceland took over running Cabo Verde Airlines. The new management changed the airline's main hub. It moved from Praia International Airport to Amílcar Cabral International Airport. This new hub was perfect for connecting flights to the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
On November 5, 2017, Icelandair gave Cabo Verde Airlines a Boeing 757-200. This plane helped with existing routes. It also allowed daily flights to Lisbon and more flights to Fortaleza and Recife.
In May 2018, the airline announced a big change. They would now be called Cabo Verde Airlines. This new name helped show the strong link between the airline and its home country. Cabo Verde Airlines then added more ways to connect Cape Verde to the world. They started new routes to Salvador de Bahia, Milan, Paris, Lisbon, and Rome. They also increased flights to Recife and Fortaleza. They used two more leased 757-200 planes for this.
On March 1, 2019, Loftleidir bought 51% of Cabo Verde Airlines. This made them the main owner of the company. Soon after, Loftleidir chose a new CEO for the airline. In June 2021, it was announced that the airline would get a new board of directors. They would also start a plan to reorganize and resize the company.
Fleet of Cabo Verde Airlines
What They Fly Now
As of July 2023, Cabo Verde Airlines uses these planes:
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||||
| Boeing 737-700 | 1 | — | 12 | 108 | 120 | ||
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 1 | — | — | 179 | 179 | ||
| Total | 2 | — | |||||
Planes They Used to Fly
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When it was called TACV, the airline used to fly these aircraft:
| 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 from Go2Sky |
| 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 | |
| Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia | 1 | 1989 | 1994 | |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 2 | 1973 | 1998 |
See also
In Spanish: Cabo Verde Airlines para niños
- List of airlines of Cape Verde
