Amílcar Cabral International Airport
IATA: SID – ICAO: GVAC
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Aeroportos Seguranca Aera (ASA)
Serves		Espargos
Elevation AMSL		177 ft / 54 m
Coordinates		16°44′33″N 22°56′53″W / 16.7425°N 22.9481°W / 16.7425; -22.9481
Website		www.asa.cv
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
01/19	10,734	3,272	Paved
07/25	4,921	1,500	Paved

ATR42 in Sal (Amilcar Cabral Airport).

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 (1.3 miles) 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 Sao 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. 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).

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 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.

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.

Currently TAAG Angolan Airlines code-shares with TACV with a stop-over in Sal due to the European Union ban on the Angolan airline operating in its airspace.

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 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.

Swiss Falcon Sal night stop.

Airlines and destinations

Current Airlines flying to Sal Intl Airport July 2010

Cargo airlines

Accidents and incidents

• 1 November 1961: Panair do Brasil, a Douglas DC-7C registration PP-PDO flying from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão via Sal and Recife, during its final approach at Recife, struck an 84m hill 2.7 km from the runway and broke-up. The aircraft was doing a night approach too low and outside the regular traffic pattern. All 45 passengers and crew died.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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