Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Vinci group expects the number of passengers to grow annually at Cape Verde’s airports until it reaches 10 million after 40 years, at the end of the airport concession that began in 2023, according to documents made available for public consultation.
“In terms of passenger traffic, starting from the 2.6 million passengers transported throughout Cape Verde by air in 2023, it is expected that a figure close to 10 million will be reached in the last year of the concession”, in 2063.
The information is contained in each of the master plans of the four international airports and three domestic aerodromes that the Civil Aviation Agency made available on its website for public consultation until April 11.
The plans specify, with plans and tables, the current state of traffic and airport infrastructure on each island, showing the works already underway and planned in the concession to Cabo Verde Airports (Vinci group) and possible developments.
All runways include works to adapt to the international rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), improvements to the passenger terminals and implementation of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency measures.
Sal Airport, the main tourist island, will continue to be the busiest and will have its runway repaved, more parking for aircraft and an expansion of the passenger terminal, taking into account the forecasts of tourism growth with the entry of new low-cost airlines (from 2024).
For the second main tourist island, Boa Vista, one of the most important works is planned, the extension of the runway by 400 meters, together with its markings to allow night operations – in addition to the expansion of the passenger terminal and the construction of a new cargo terminal.
The works will allow for more international flights, and more parking spaces for aircraft and new functional corridors are also planned, next to the runway.
At Praia Airport, the country’s capital, the passenger terminal is being modernised and expanded, and the runway is expected to gain two more parking spaces for aircraft.
The airport on the island of São Vicente, which also receives international flights, will also benefit from an extension of the passenger terminal, as well as lighting for night operations of certain aircraft, improvements to the pavement and the reconfiguration of a platform.
The master plans for the remaining three aerodromes (Fogo, Maio and São Nicolau), dedicated to domestic flights, also include improvements to the facilities.
Cape Verde broke the record of 1.2 million guests in 2024 and intends to improve domestic connections to distribute the growing number of tourists across all the islands, in what is the driving force of the economy.
Only on the island of Sal, which receives the majority of foreign tourists, the opening of new air routes is creating a “critical” occupancy situation, an “opportunity” for investment in hotels, said the executive director of the airport concessionaire, Jorge Benchimol Duarte, last week.
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