Amílcar Cabral International Airport

Amílcar Cabral International Airport Aeroporto Internacional Amílcar Cabral
Airport terminal from main road
IATA: SID – ICAO: GVAC
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Aeroportos Seguranca Aera (ASA)
Serves	Espargos
Location	Sal, Cape Verde
Hub for	Cabo Verde Express Halcyonair TACV Cabo Verde Airlines
Elevation AMSL	54 m / 177 ft
Coordinates	16°44′33″N 022°56′53″W / 16.74250°N 22.94806°W / 16.74250; -22.94806Coordinates: 16°44′33″N 022°56′53″W / 16.74250°N 22.94806°W / 16.74250; -22.94806
Website	www.asa.cv.
Map
SID Location in Cape Verde
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 01/19 3,272 10,735 Paved 07/25 1,500 4,921 Paved
Statistics (2011)
Passengers 576,323[1]
Sources: World Aero Data[2]

Amílcar Cabral International Airport (IATA: SID, ICAO: GVAC), also known as Sal International Airport or Amílcar Cabral Airport, is the principal international airport of Cabo Verde. The airport is named after the revolutionary leader Amílcar Cabral.

It is located two km 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 three international airports are near Praia on Santiago Island, on São Vicente near the capital of Mindelo, and on Boavista.

The airport's main runway is 3,272 m (10,734 ft) long and is the longest in Cape Verde. It is used for long-haul flights. It was also one of the designated emergency landing strips for the U.S. Space Shuttle.^[3] The second runway is 1,500 m (4,921 ft) long and is used by small planes. Sal was the main hub for the national airline, TACV Cabo Verde Airlines; now it serves as a base for carriers Cabo Verde Express, and Halcyonair.

In 2011, the airport served 576.323 passengers.^[4]

History

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 15 December 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 (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 1983, South African Airlines was using the airport as a refueling stop for its Boeing 747SP service between South Africa and Houston Intercontinental Airport in the U.S.^[5]

In 1985, TACV began service to Boston, Massachusetts using a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 provided by LAM Mozambique Airlines. 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 inter alia Amsterdam, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris and Porto. Domestic destinations include Santiago and São Vicente.^[6]

Facilities and transport

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 (Cobus 3000s) are used to transport passengers to the aircraft stands. The airport is located on the west side of the road linking Espargos and Santa Maria, the island's main tourist destination. There is no scheduled public transport; 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.^[7] In addition Cabo Verde Express has its head office in the Concourse Hall.^[8] The duty-free shop is located after passport control but before security scanning, which only takes place as you enter the boarding lounge, which is shared for all four departure gates.

Airlines and destinations

Inside the terminal at Sal Airport.

An225 Mriya, the world's largest aircraft, visiting Sal Airport.

John Kerry kicking a soccer ball outside the VIP Terminal.

TACV Cabo Verde Airlines ATR 42 at Sal Airport.

Charters

References

External links

• Airport information for GVAC at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for GVAC at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Airport information for GVAC at Fallingrain.com
• Current weather for GVAC at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for SID at Aviation Safety Network
• Finelli, Marco (November 2004) "Sal: Island Gateway in the Atlantic Ocean", Airliner World, pp. 64–66.
• TACV Timetable for Sal

Airports in Cape Verde International Boa Vista Praia Sal São Vicente Domestic Fogo Maio São Nicolau Defunct Brava Fogo (Mosteiros) Santo Antão

Media related to Amílcar Cabral International Airport at Wikimedia Commons