The total movement of passengers at Cape Verdean airports renewed in August the highest value since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, rising to almost 226 thousand in a month, according to data compiled today by Lusa.
According to statistics from the Civil Aviation Agency (AAC), which regulates the sector in Cape Verde, the archipelago’s airports and airfields registered in August this year a movement of 2,454 aircraft in boarding and alighting (an increase of 73.4% compared to same month of 2021), on international and domestic flights.
The number of passengers embarking, disembarking and transiting in the whole of last month was 58,719 on domestic flights and 167,279 on international flights (+198% compared to 2021), translating into a global movement of 225,998 passengers, against only 92,627 in the same month of 2021.
This is the highest monthly movement since February 2020 – immediately before the restrictions with the covid-19 pandemic -, when Cape Verdean airports and airfields handled 232,131 passengers and 2,748 aircraft.
The total movement of passengers at Cape Verde’s airports and airfields has been growing strongly since the beginning of the year, following the resumption of tourist demand and already last July the record had been broken since the beginning of the pandemic, with more than 211 thousand passengers.
The total movement of passengers at Cape Verdean airports grew by 7% in 2021, compared to 2020, to more than 830 thousand, a better-than-expected result given the consequences of the pandemic.
According to data from the Civil Aviation Agency, the archipelago’s airports and airfields registered a movement of 14,284 aircraft from January to December 2021 on departures and arrivals (an increase of 8.5% compared to 2020), on international and domestic flights.
The number of passengers embarking, disembarking and transiting last year was 287,752 on domestic flights and 542,488 on international flights, translating into a global movement of 830,240 passengers, against 775,998 in the same period in 2020 (+7%). . However, Cape Verdean airports only operated in 2020 until March, with all air connections, domestic (until July) and international (until October), having been suspended to contain the covid-19 pandemic.
These numbers are still far from those verified before the covid-19 pandemic and from January to December 2019 alone, Cape Verde airports totaled 2,771,931 passengers, in 35,002 aircraft movements on domestic and international flights.
Cape Verde registered a record 819 thousand tourists in 2019, a sector that guarantees 25% of the Gross Domestic Product, but is trying to recover after the total stoppage in March 2020, due to the restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic, also affecting the aeronautical sector. and air navigation.
On 18 July, the Cape Verdean government signed a public airport service concession contract with the Vinci group, involving the management of four international airports and three aerodromes for 40 years, receiving 80 million euros in income.
The new company that will manage Cape Verde’s airports is 70% owned by Vinci Airports and 30% by the Portuguese ANA (in turn wholly owned by Vinci since 2013).
ANGOAVIAÇÃO 