The Cape Verdean government is seeking to find a permanent solution to the uncertainty of internal air travel. Currently, they have a six month agreement with Bestfly to operate internal flights. That agreement started in May 2021. The Minister of Tourism and Transport recently viewed the second Bestfly plane that has now arrived on the country. This plane will be brought into use soon and the Minister hopes that this will ease the situation.
The aim is to bring stability to the domestic flights, which is so important for the country’s economy. It is possible that TICV will come back as the operator. In June, Bestfly World Wide purchased 70% of the TICV shares from Binter. The remaining 30% belonging to the Cape Verdean government.
Clearly there is a need to sort this situation out. Currently it is not possible to book internal flights online. This make life very difficult for visitors from outside Cape Verde. They need to know that they can get from the arrival international airport to the island they wish to visit. If they can’t book internal flights easily they will not book hotels or self-catering accommodation. Islands like Brava, Fogo, Maio, Santo Antão and São Nicolau will miss out on tourism as a result and businesses on those islands will not survive. However, it is possible to book flights through a local travel agent and contact details are available, see the travel page.
[01 October 2021]
