Cape Verde airports and transfers

The four international airports

Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID) on Sal is the largest airport in the country. It began as an airfield completed in 1939, has a 3,000 m runway and lies just outside Espargos, the island's capital, in the middle of the island. Most charter and low-cost flights from Europe land here. Aristides Pereira International Airport (BVC), which opened in 2007 on the site of the old Rabil airfield, lies about 5 km south-east of Sal Rei and serves the resorts of Boa Vista.

Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI), opened in 2005, is about 3 km north-east of the centre of Praia on Santiago. It is the main hub for scheduled flights to Lisbon and West Africa, and it is the base of CVsky, the domestic airline. Cesária Évora International Airport (VXE), near the village of São Pedro, south-west of Mindelo, is the gateway to São Vicente and the ferry to Santo Antão.

Which one to choose depends on the island: Sal for most beach holidays and the widest choice of flights, Boa Vista for its own resorts, São Vicente for Mindelo and the hiking on Santo Antão, and Praia for Santiago and onward travel to Fogo. Our island comparison helps if you have not decided yet.

Flights from the UK and Europe

From the UK the flight takes about six hours. TUI flies to Sal and Boa Vista from several airports, among them London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and East Midlands, some only in certain seasons, and easyJet flies to Sal from Gatwick, Manchester and, since May 2026, Bristol. Other regional airports have had seasonal flights in some years, so check the current schedule.

From mainland Europe, TAP links Lisbon with all four international airports, and airlines such as Transavia, Luxair, Edelweiss, Neos and TUI's European carriers fly seasonal routes, mainly to Sal and Boa Vista. Schedules change every season. For Mindelo or Praia from the UK, the usual route is via Lisbon.

Arriving: passport, EASE and the airport security fee

Your passport must be valid for at least six months after arrival. British and EU citizens do not need a visa for a holiday; British visitors can stay up to 30 days. Every visitor must pre-register on the official EASE platform at least five days before arrival and pay the airport security fee (TSA) there: 3,400 escudos, about €31. Children under two are exempt. Since 1 July 2026, anyone who arrives without having registered pays double at border control. Package operators often handle this for you, but check. The details are in safety, visa and the EASE fee.

Keep the EASE confirmation on your phone or printed for passport control. Sal airport has exchange and banking services, and escudos are useful for taxis and tips; see currency and prices.

How to get from Sal airport to Santa Maria

Santa Maria, where most of Sal's hotels are, lies at the southern tip of the island, about 20 minutes from the airport along the main road. Package holidays usually include a coach transfer, which can take longer as it stops at several hotels. Otherwise, taxis wait outside arrivals. Fares are set locally, so agree the price before you get in, ideally in escudos, and ask your hotel for the current rate. A pre-booked private transfer gives you a fixed price and a driver waiting with your name, which helps with late arrivals.

There is no dedicated airport bus to Santa Maria. Shared minibuses known as aluguers or Hiaces run along the main road between Espargos and Santa Maria; the airport operator gives a minimum fare of around 100 escudos, about €1. They are cheap, but they have no fixed timetable, leave when full and are not made for large suitcases.

Transfers on Boa Vista, Santiago and São Vicente

On Boa Vista the airport is close to Sal Rei and to the resorts on Praia de Chaves, while hotels further down the west and south coasts take longer to reach; almost everyone on a package has a coach transfer, and taxis wait at the terminal for the rest. In Praia, the taxi ride to the Plateau and the beach districts is short, and on São Vicente the taxi into Mindelo takes about 15 minutes. If you are heading straight to the Santo Antão ferry, allow enough time to reach Mindelo harbour before departure.

Car hire is available at the airports, but driving is rarely needed on Sal or Boa Vista, where most trips are by taxi or with tours that include hotel pick-up. On departure, check in early. If you are flying in from another island on the day of your international flight, think again; see ferries and flights between the islands.

Domestic aerodromes and the airport modernisation project

Fogo (São Filipe), Maio and São Nicolau (Preguiça) have small aerodromes with domestic CVsky flights only. They rely on visual approaches, so dust haze and low cloud cause more delays and cancellations there than at the international airports. Santo Antão and Brava have no airport in service and are reached by ferry; see Maio, São Nicolau and Brava.

Since July 2023 all seven public airports have been run by Cabo Verde Airports, a company owned by VINCI Airports and its subsidiary ANA under a 40-year concession. A first phase of works worth €80 million, finished in 2025, renewed the runways on Sal and São Nicolau and upgraded the terminals, with self-service check-in. A second phase of €142 million over three years includes terminal expansions and a longer runway on Boa Vista, so expect some building work at the airports in the coming years.