Amilcar Cabral International Airport, also known as Sal International Airport, is the main international airport of Cape Verde. The airport is named after the revolutionary leader Amilcar Cabral. It is located 2 km west-south-west of Espargos on Sal Island. Sal is the main hub for the national airline Cabo Verde Airlines and serves as a base for the carrier Cabo Verde Express. This airport was also one of NASA‘s chosen sites for a facility to handle the Space Shuttle after it left orbit.
Amilcar Cabral has one terminal. It is a two-storey 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 is also a VIP lounge for private jet passengers in the terminal building. The terminal building has four gates and buses are used to transport passengers to the aircraft
Cape Verde private jet charter prices
Although Amilcar Cabral Airport air charter fees depend on variables such as the number of passengers, departure airport, flight time, aircraft position, flight date, the prices for private jet charter from Istanbul → Sal are as follows.
| Heavy Jet | 71.650 EUR |
| Long Range Jet | 100.000 EUR |
| VIP Airliner | 145.250 EUR |
These prices are average amounts and you can contact us on our flight reservation screen or by phone for the most accurate price information.
History of Cape Verde Sal Airport
The first airport on the island of Sal was built in 1939 by Italy as a fuel and supply stop on the routes from Europe to South America. The first flight from Rome and Seville started on 15 December 1939, and with the outbreak of the Second World War, Italy’s involvement in the airport project ended. After World War II, the Portuguese colonial government bought the airport from Italy and in 1949 the airport became fully operational.
Between 1960 and 1967, Sal was a stop of the Voo da amizade (Friendship Flight), a special service between Brazil and Portugal. This service was operated by Panair do Brasil from 1960 to 1965 and by TAP-Transportes Aéreos Portugueses and Varig from 1965 to 1967. These flights were extremely popular due to their low fares, and only Brazilian and Portuguese citizens or foreigners with permanent residence in Brazil or Portugal could purchase tickets. At that time, Cape Verde was a Portuguese Overseas Territory and therefore part of Portuguese territory.
From 1963 to 1975, the Portuguese Air Force was based at Sal airport. The port served to support military air links between European Portugal and Portugal’s African provinces, as well as serving as the operational base for maritime patrol aircraft occasionally deployed in Cape Verde.
From 1967, Sal was used by South African Airways as a refuelling stop for flights to and from Europe. By 1983, SAA operated 13 round trips per week between Sal and Johannesburg and used the island as a stopover for Boeing 747 services to New York, Houston, London, Brussels and Amsterdam. Sal was later used as a fuel stop on SAA’s Atlanta service from 2003.
Amilcar Cabral International Airport was the only airport in Cape Verde serving international flights until September 2005. Since 2017, Sal has been the refuelling stop for the South Atlantic Air Bridge service operated twice a week between the United Kingdom and the Falkland Islands by Air Tanker.
Cape Verde travel guide
Cape Verde Islands is one of the regions with the highest increase in tourism in recent years. Cape Verde is also called the Caribbean of Africa with its cultural structure, history and marvellous beaches.
Among the places to visit in the region are the Pedra Lume Salt Crater, which once provided the economy of the island, Buracano – Olho Azul, a natural pool formed by sea water, the Spanish ship Cabo Santa Maria Shipwreck, which was washed ashore in 1968, Bahia Beach, which has the calmest sea in the country, and Fogo Island, famous for its village and wines in the volcanic crater.
Cape Verde Sal airport transport details
There are not many alternatives for getting from Amilcar Cabral International Airport to the city centre. Taxis waiting outside the port are the most commonly used vehicles for transportation. There are also minibus-style vehicles at the exit of the port, although the hours are not certain. There are offices of different private car rental companies in the harbour, but it may be necessary to make a reservation in advance due to lack of vehicles..
