A four-hour flight from Europe, the Cape Verde archipelago offers visitors mountainous volcanic landscapes, golden beaches, marine wildlife sanctuaries and its rich crioula (creole) a blend of its Portuguese past and African roots. The dry, warm climate means that the attractions of these Atlantic islands that together form Africa’s most westerly country can be enjoyed all year round. In 2019, Cape Verde welcomed 758,000 tourists with its traditional morabeza (a creole term meaning hospitality, friendliness), a figure that has steadily increased over the past two decades from 28,000 visitors in 1995, and has established itself as a destination for sustainable and nature-based tourism.

To meet this growing demand, several years ago the country began to expand and modernise its airports. Ineco first started working in the archipelago in 2003 and since then has continued to provide services to the national company Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea, ASA (see ITRANSPORTE 50 and 61). Currently, the network consists of four international airports –Sal, Praia, São Vicente and Boavista– and three airports for domestic traffic, São Nicolau, Maio and Fogo. For the São Filipe aerodrome, Ineco is carrying out a study of flight procedures for the implementation of night operations.

In early March 2021, it also presented the technical feasibility study prepared for ASA on a new international airport on the island of Santo Antão, at an event held in the capital, Porto Novo, attended by the country’s top officials.

The fifth international airport, in Santo Antão

In total, the Cape Verdean territory, with just over 530,000 inhabitants, is made up of 15 islands and islets: 10 large ones (one of which, Santa Luzia, is uninhabited) and five smaller ones. All of them have at least one seaport and ferry lines, which together with domestic flights provide internal mobility. International airports are the main gateway for foreign tourism, which in 2019 contributed 28.6% of gross domestic product.

The Ineco report concludes that the construction of a new airport in Santo Antão is feasible and proposes that it be located in Ponta do Morro Preto, seven kilometres from Porto Novo

The second largest island by area, after Santiago (where Praia airport is located), is Santo Antão, which is 779 km² and the third most populated island, with more than 40,000 inhabitants. In 2003, the island’s only aerodrome, located in the north with a small runway of less than 600 metres, ceased operating for operational and safety reasons, meaning that its connections are now limited to the ferry line to neighbouring São Vicente. Despite this, its spectacular mountain scenery attracted more than 42,000 tourists in 2019, according to Cape Verde’s Directorate General of Tourism, a 20% increase on the previous year.

In 2016, the government, through ASA, launched preliminary studies for the construction of a new airport near Porto Novo, the island’s capital and home to a quarter of the population. On 5 March, the city hosted the presentation of the conclusions of the technical feasibility study prepared by Ineco, which was attended by the Prime Minister, Ulisses Correia e Silva, the Minister of Tourism, Carlos Santos, and other Cape Verdean authorities and public and private entities.

After mapping the area and analysing four possible locations, the winds, as well as taking into account the mountainous terrain of the island and the obstacles to aircraft operations, the Ineco report concludes that the construction of the airport is feasible. After considering several criteria, the proposed location is the Ponta do Morro Preto area, seven kilometres from Porto Novo. This area was selected as the most suitable because of its proximity to the city, which would make it more convenient for future passengers, and because it would require less earthworks than the other options, making construction cheaper and easier.

The runway is expected to be 1,400 metres long, which could be extended to 2,000 metres, suitable for the medium-sized aircraft that make up the fleet of the airlines that will operate at the new airport. In order to determine the runway orientation, which is essential to ensure safe operations, a detailed analysis of the data collected over the last four years by the weather station, which was installed in the area in 2017, has been carried out. In this way, it has been established that the predominant winds are east-southeast, which dictates the orientation of the runway for the approach maneuvers, the most delicate, and the take-off.

The Ineco study also includes an analysis of the tourist demand that the new airport would generate, using the Spanish islands of La Gomera and El Hierro as a benchmark. Following the confirmation of the technical feasibility of the project, a ‘road map’ of the next steps was presented: the completion of a preliminary flight procedures study, the preparation of a Master Plan including location alternatives, a demand study and a cost-benefit analysis, a Strategic Environmental Assessment, and finally, construction and operation authorisations.

ASA (Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea), manager of the airports in Cape Verde, has once again commissioned Ineco to review procedures and operational policies at São Felipe aerodrome on the island of Fogo. Ineco will prepare a review of obstacles and safety in relation to the introduction of night operations and instrument flight conditions, and draft instrument flight procedures. In addition, in 2019 the company also carried out a study for the installation of an ILS (Instrument Landing System) at São Vicente airport. These recent projects join the long list of projects carried out by Ineco to improve and expand the airport network in the country since 2003 (see ITRANSPORTE 50 and 61).

In 2016, the airports in Cape Verde –four international airports and three for domestic flights– totalled 2,215,892 passengers, 11.5% more than in 2015. The growth of international passengers, up 22%, was especially significant. Tourism is the key engine driving the country’s dynamic air-travel market, which already contributes a third of its GDP. Cape Verde is an archipelago, a former Portuguese colony, located off of Africa’s Atlantic coast, approximately 500 kilometres from Senegal, and consists of 10 islands, seven of which have airfields. Its long beaches and natural riches attract more and more visitors every year, which has boosted international air transport.

Ineco has been working closely and continuously with the authorities of Cape Verde for 14 years to ensure that the airport network, managed by the public entity Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea (ASA), lives up to the growing demand for air transportation. Beginning in July 2015 to the present, the company has been supervising the most recent enlargement works of the passenger terminals of the Boa Vista and Sal international airports, which have the largest volume of tourists.

The company has drafted the work projects, which focus on external renovation, enlargement of saturated areas and increased comfort and quality of passenger service. The construction is being carried out by a Spanish consortium (Acciona Infraestructuras-Aberdore), while Ineco, with a team of five people, supervises the works at both airports, each located on a different island, Sal and Boa Vista. The work is expected to be completed by early 2018.

Sal, the most international airport

Sal airport.

Of the four international airports in Cape Verde, Sal (Amilcar Cabral) is number one with 53% of the total, it is also the one that grew the most in 2016, with 914,696 passengers, 17.2% more than in 2015, according to data from ASA. Of these, almost 754,000 were international passengers.

To meet this increase in demand, provided for in the Plan that was also developed by Ineco (see IT50), the adaptation work of the current terminal building has been undertaken, covering a total area of 6,464.58 m². To this end, a mixed solution has been chosen, consisting of both remodelling the existing areas and building an additional 2,022.66 m² of new spaces. Likewise, the plan includes actions to improve the operating revenues of non-aeronautical activities at the airport, increasing the area allocated for shopping.

The former international departures area has been restructured, giving way to new departure lounges in a new building, around 1,110 m², built as an improvement to the air side façade towards the aircraft parking apron. This boarding area includes a new executive lounge, and 500 m² of open-air patio with a pool area from which the project gets its name: Oasis.

The space that is no longer occupied by the departure lounges (1,400 m²) has become a new open-plan area for passengers after inspection and passport control, where restaurants and shops are located.

Of the four international airports in Cape Verde, Sal (Amilcar Cabral) is number one with 53% of the total, it is also the one that grew the most in 2016

The arrivals area is being extended to the north with new structures that will house the new unified room, with double capacity, two new baggage claim areas and a more extensive passport control area. The offices of the authorities, such as the police quarters and customs offices, etc., will be located in this new area.

In order to increase comfort levels and to keep passenger service levels as high as possible, the quiet season, during which traveller flow is much less, is being used to perform works.

Boa Vista, character of its own

Boa Vista airport.

In 2016, Aristides Pereira Airport, in Boa Vista, saw the second largest passenger growth, with a total of 465,049, 10.2% more than the previous year, of which around 400,000 were international passengers. Traffic has been booming since the inauguration of a completely new airport in 2007, built on the old facilities, entirely planned by Ineco, which was also in charge of the technical assistance of the works.

The original design of the facilities, structured around a central outdoor space around a pond, partially covered by tents, makes the building unmistakable and is intended to offer a pleasant welcome to the visitor, thanks also to the materials used such as limestone and wood. In 2011, the aircraft parking apron was expanded, a project drafted by Ineco.

Now it is the passenger terminal’s turn, which will have 5,332 m² more space, of which 1,245 m² will be used for the arrivals area and 4,087 m² for the departures area (including 1,382 m² of baggage handling space).

The check-in area currently has six counters and a lobby area for building access that is used for passenger queues. With the expansion of approximately 1,458 m², there will be space for 12 check-in counters, plus one for special baggage. The perimeter area surrounding the hall will be used for staff offices for the airport administrator and other companies.

In 2016, Aristides Pereira Airport, in Boa Vista, saw the second largest passenger growth, with a total of 465,049, 10.2% more than the previous year

At the same time, the reformulation of the current space for domestic departures and passenger control makes it possible to increase passport control booths from two to eight. For national and international departure lounge, two new spaces are generated, separated by a commercial area with independent access and a door between them that can act as a sluice-gate for boarding. In total, the commercial area in the departure lounges has increased by 382 m².

In the international area, passport control has moved from its location and the number of booths has increased by four, making six in total. The number of baggage claim areas will also be increased from two to four and the waiting area, currently very saturated, will be expanded.

A SYMBOL

A 200 Escudos Cape Verde currency note.

The control tower at Sal airport is featured on the 200 Escudos Cape Verde currency note, which is the most frequently-used note in the country for small transactions.

In July, Jesús Silva, president of Ineco, met with Olavo Correia, minister of Finance; Eunice Silva, minister of Infrastructure; and José da Silva Gonçalves, minister of Economy and Employment in Cape Verde. Ineco has collaborated with Cape Verdean authorities since 2003 on projects such as the enlargement and modernisation of the international airports Boavista and Sal, and the renewal of the tread surface at Praia International Airport. The company has also worked on the master plans for Cape Verde’s four international airports.

Additionally, in 2015 Ineco was awarded the tender for the inspection of passenger terminal enlargement work of Boavista and Sal, design of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) procedures for Boavista and São Vicente airports, and the master plans for local aerodromes which will be used in planning how they will develop their airport network and in facilitating the development of tourism on other islands of this archipielago.