| Amílcar Cabral International Airport Aeroporto Internacional Amílcar Cabral |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: SID – ICAO: GVAC | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Aeroportos Seguranca Aera (ASA) | ||
| Serves | Espargos | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 54 m / 177 ft | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Map | |||
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| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 01/19 | 3,272 | 10,734 | Paved |
| 07/25 | 1,500 | 4,921 | Paved |
| Statistics | |||
| Passengers | |||
| Aircraft Operations | |||
| Metric tonnes of cargo | |||
| Sources: World Aero Data[1] | |||
Amílcar Cabral International Airport (IATA: SID, ICAO: GVAC), also known as Sal International Airport or Amílcar Cabral Airport, is the principal international airport of Cape Verde. The airport is named after the revolutionary leader Amílcar Cabral.
It is located 2 km (1.2 mi) west-southwest from Espargos on Sal Island. Until September 2005, it was the only airport in Cape Verde to serve international flights. (Cape Verde's other international airports are near Praia on Santiago Island, on São Vicente near the capital of Mindelo and on Boavista.)
The airport's main runway (01/19) is 3,272m (10,734 ft) and is the longest in Cape Verde. It is used for long-haul flights. It is also one of the designated emergency landing strips for the U.S. Space Shuttle.[2] The second runway (07/25) is 1,500m (4,921 ft) and is used by small planes. Sal was the main hub for the national airline, TACV Cabo Verde Airlines, now Sal is the base of privates Cabo Verde Express, and Halcyonair.
In 2004, the airport served 1,007,561 passengers (+21.4% vs. 2003).
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The first airport on Sal Island was built in 1939 by Italy, as a fuel and provisions stopping-point on routes from Rome to South America. The first flight, an arrival from Rome and Seville, was on December 15, 1939. In 1947, the Portuguese colonial government purchased the airport from Italian interests. In 1950, DC-4 service on Alitalia began on a Rome —- Sal —- Buenos Aires —- Caracas route. In 1961 jet service (a DC-8) on the route rendered the stop at Sal unnecessary, and international service was suspended.
Between 1960 and 1967 Sal was a stop of the Voo da amizade (English: Friendship Flight), a dedicated service between Brazil and Portugal. It was operated from 1960 to 1965 by Panair do Brasil and from 1965 to 1967 by TAP-Transportes Aéreos Portugueses and Varig. Only Brazilian and Portuguese citizens or foreigners with permanent residence in Brazil or Portugal could purchase tickets for those flights, which were extremely popular due to their low fares. At this time, Cape Verde was a Portuguese Overseas Province and therefore part of the territory of Portugal.
In 1967, Sal was used again as a refueling stop, this time by South African Airways, for flights to and from Europe, since SAA was denied landing rights by most African countries due to the international boycott of apartheid. Later, Cubana and Aeroflot used Sal for refueling and passenger flights.
In 1985, TACV began service to Boston, Massachusetts, using a LAM DC10. Boston hosts the largest Cape Verdean community in the United States. TACV flights to Boston have since been shifted to Praia International Airport. Other international destinations include Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, and Porto. Domestic destinations include Santiago and São Vicente.
Amílcar Cabral has one terminal. It is a two-story building containing check-in, waiting, and arrival areas, as well as shopping, banking, and passenger services. The second floor houses airport operations and airline offices. There are four gates, and buses are used to transport passengers to the aircraft stands.
The airport is located on the east side connecting with the road linking Espargos and Santa Maria, the island's main tourist destination. There is presently no scheduled public transport, but taxis, shared cars known as "aluguer", and rental cars are available.
The head office of Halcyonair is located in the first floor of the Concourse Hall.[3] In addition Cabo Verde Express has its head office in the Concourse Hall.[4]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Mediterranee | Paris, Toulouse |
| Arkefly | Amsterdam, Fortaleza, Natal |
| Europe Airpost | Brussels, Paris-Orly |
| Cabo Verde Express | Boa Vista, Fogo, Maio, Praia, São Nicolau, São Vicente |
| Halcyonair | Boa Vista, Fogo, Maio, Praia, São Nicolau, São Vicente |
| Hifly | London-Gatwick, Mount Pleasant |
| Jetairfly | Boa Vista, Brussels |
| Luxair | Luxembourg, Boa Vista |
| Mistral Air | Milan-Bergamo |
| Neos | Bergamo, Bologna, Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino, Verona Seasonal: Brescia Montichiari |
| SATA International | Lisbon Seasonal: Porto |
| TACV | Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bissau, Boa Vista, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan-Malpensa, Paris-Charles De Gaulle, Praia, Rome, São Filipe, São Nicolau, São Vicente Seasonal: Milan-Bergamo, Porto, Rome-Fiumicino |
| TAP Portugal | Lisbon |
| Thomson Airways | Birmingham, London-Gatwick, Manchester |
| Transavia | Boa Vista, Paris-Orly |
| Travel Service Airlines | Seasonal: Budapest, Prague |
| TUIfly | Boa Vista, Cologne/Bonn, Hanover, Munich, Frankfurt Seasonal: Basel, Hamburg, Stuttgart |
| TUIfly Nordic | Copenhagen, Gothenburg-Landvetter, Stockholm-Arlanda |
| White Airways | Lisbon Seasonal: Porto |
| XL Airways France | Seasonal: Lyon, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Sirin | Dakar |
| Serair | Gran Canaria |