The capital of Cabo Verde, Praia will soon be connected with a number of African destinations following the announcement by Asky Airlines to begin passenger service to the archipelago island from June 2 this year.
The archipelago island considered one of the continent’s exotic tourist hotbeds has been difficult for Africans to travel to unless in most cases flying through Lisbon, which demands a traveller to have a Schengen transit visa to even think of embarking on a voyage.
The closest connection which linked the island to mainland Africa was Air Senegal, but a limited-service network meant the alluring destination is beyond the reach of most Africans.
The newly announced flight schedule will start three times a week and will connect passengers from Asky’s Lomé hub via Dakar (DSS) to the island. The flight days will be Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays (Lome—Dss-Praia) and Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays ( Praia-Dss-Lome)
This exciting news means African travellers have been given travel freedom to reduce hours of the journey and being able to fly from many destinations courtesy of Asky’s network partnership with the continent’s biggest airline group Ethiopian Airlines.
With over 62 destinations and counting, Ethiopian Airlines will also welcome one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in Africa to its already rich pool of destinations through its interline agreement with Asky Airlines.
Cabo Verde’s tourism traditionally leans itself and is reliant on European markets and figures haven’t been encouraging especially during the disruptive two years of covid-19.
The Municipality of Praia in the first week of May participated in Africa’s biggest leisure travel, the Travel Indaba in Durban South Africa. The resource person at the municipality in charge of tourism Victor Constantino in an interview with VoyagesAfriq said, the impending flight is a great opportunity and offers access for Africans to travel and experience and enjoy the country.
Reacting to this news, the Mayor of Praia said, the introduction of the service to Praia is another fine opportunity for business, tourism and cultural exchange.
“This fits in our strategy of promoting the city and the country to Africans. Now is the time to deepen relationships with our fellow African cities and countries,” he maintained.
The Commercial Director of ASKY, Mr. Nowel Ngala in a statement said, “Adding the beautiful Island of Praia – Cape Verde has always been the airline’s wish to connect more cities to its big network in order to facilitate movements, promote tourism and economic growth amongst African cities.”
These flights will be operated using a Boeing 737-800 New Generation (NG) aircraft and are already available for sale.
ASKY, The Pan-African Airline, is a 100% privately owned airline created by regional banking institutions in Africa that includes The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), The West African Development Bank (BOAD) and ECOBANK Group (ETI) in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines.
ASKY is a commercial company under private law and is managed by experienced African aviation professionals, with Ethiopian airlines as its strategic partner.
ASKY currently operates a fleet of eleven aircraft: Six (6) Boeing 737-800s and five (5) Boeing 737-700s, serving twenty-six (26) cities in twenty-three (23) countries within Africa.
ASKY’s focus is to develop a strong intra-Africa network that fosters regional development, tourism, economic growth and regional integration as a major economic catalyst within the continent with its long-term goal of a sustainable business focused on profitability.
Facts about Cabo Verde
The islands of Cape Verde have a pleasant climate during most of the year with 350 days of sunshine, and some of them offer impressive mountain scenery as well. Diving, windsurfing, sailing, and trekking are available to tourists. Some ecotourism is developing on the islands of São Nicolau, Santiago and Boa Vista.
