News from Islands
Passenger traffic at Cape Verde’s airports up 13% in first quarter
Passenger traffic in Cape Verde’s airports rose 13% in the first quarter of 2011, confirming the previously registered trend that has shown greater dynamism in international passenger growth (17.4%) than in domestic growth (8.2%). Aircraft traffic rose 22.5% (with an increase of 4.4% in terms of international flights and 30.9% in domestic flights). Cape Verde’s political stability, which contrasts starkly with the conflicts currently afflicting various North and sub-Saharan African countries, apparently served as an added point of attraction for tourists and the consequent increase in international air traffic.
A total of 456,177 passengers embarked and disembarked in Cape Verde’s airports in the first quarter of this year, representing growth of 13% (and a numerical increase of 52,292 passengers) in comparison to the same period last year. Sal’s Amílcar Cabral International Airport saw the greatest amount of passenger traffic – 180,440 passengers, up 12% over the first quarter of 2010, 128,820 of which were international (a 19% increase) and 51,620 of which were domestic (a reduction of 2.1% from the same period last year).
Praia International Airport saw total traffic of 120,992 passengers (up 10.3%), 50,682 of which were international (up 4.6%) and 70,240 of which were domestic (up 14.7%). Boa Vista International Airport came in third place, having strengthened its second-place ranking in terms of international passenger traffic (62,668 international passengers, a 20.2% increase over the same period last year) while also seeing growth in terms of domestic traffic (19,302 passengers, a 24.2% increase).
Traffic at São Pedro International Airport on São Vicente grew 8/ in the first quarter of 2011, with a 545% increase in international passengers (3,566), as opposed to a 0.7% increase in domestic traffic (with 41,461 passengers). All of the country’s other airports showed growth as well: São Filipe, with a 20.8% increase in passenger traffic, São Nicolau, with a 1.2% rise, and Maio, with a 24.2% increase.
Charter flights operated by the TUI group continue to be responsible for the largest single portion of traffic to the island of Sal. In individual terms, however, TAP Air Portugal continues to lead in terms of international flights to the island, followed by Thompsonfly and Tui Fly Nordic. TAP has grown significantly in the past several months, presenting passenger movement growth of 27% in the fourth quarter of 2010 and 11% in the first quarter of 2011 (17,540 passengers).
Thompsonfly’s operations saw a slight decrease of 2% (with a total of 17,429 passengers), while the other three companies at the top in the ranking (Tui Fly Nordic, XL Airways France and NEOS SPA) grew 11%, 316% and 58%, respectively. TACV came in sixth place with 12,913 passengers transported (up 39%), followed by three foreign airlines. In terms of origin/destination, Sal shared the largest single portion of its traffic with Portugal (17%), followed by the United Kingdom (13%), Italy (13%) and France (9.5%).
International traffic in Praia continues to be dominated by TACV Cabo Verde Airlines, which has a 64% share of all passengers, but even so saw a reduction in the first quarter of 2011 (down 4%, with 32,332 passengers). TAP strengthened its position along the Praia-Lisbon corridor, transporting 15,446 passengers (up 19%), against TACV’s 7,785 (down 23%) along the same route. TAAG Angola Airlines transported a total of 1,778 passengers along its Praia-São Tomé-Luanda route (an 8% increase).
International traffic on the island of Boa Vista continues to be dominated by Thompson Airways (11,545 passengers, up 1%), Tui Nordic (9,441 passengers, up 19%), Tui Fly (9,196 passengers, up 100%) and NEOS Spa (8,231 passengers, up 71%), among others. In terms of origin and destination, Boa Vista airport shares the largest portions of its passengers with the United Kingdom, the Canary Islands and Portugal.
On São Vicente, international traffic is dominated by TACV, which connects São Pedro International Airport to Lisbon, Amsterdam, Boston and Paris. The largest single portion of traffic is shared with Lisbon (with one regularly scheduled flight per week), having reached the figure of 2,518 passengers (up 100%) in the first quarter of 2011. A boom is expected to occur in the second quarter, with the beginning of operations by TAP.
In terms of aircraft traffic, Cape Verde’s airports registered a global increase of 22% in the first quarter of 2011, an increase that was more expressive in domestic (up 30.9%) than in international traffic (up 4.4%). In terms of cargo and mail transportation, global growth of 17% and 0.5%, respectively, was seen, with more than 1,000 metric tons of merchandise transported.
The Sal Oceanic Flight Information Region registered 7% growth in flyovers. TAP continues to lead Sal’s FIR operations, with 1,886 movements, up 5%), followed by Brazilian airline TAM (with 1,429 movements, up 15%$), Spain’s Iberia (1,142 movements, up 1%), Air France (1,013, up 4%), TACV (502, up 4%), Delta Airlines (382, up 15%) and South African Airways (359, up 7%).
