Luxembourg airline Luxair has inaugurated flights to Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, after weekly connections to the islands of Sal and Boavista, an official source said. Cabo Verde Airports, the company that has managed the country’s seven airports and aerodromes since July, said in a statement that the flight began this Monday December 18.
Luxair already has weekly connections to the islands of Sal and Boavista, resumed after they were suspended due to the pandemic, and now also connects Luxembourg to the city of Praia via a weekly flight on Mondays, the company said.
The Cape Verdean community in Luxembourg officially numbers around 2,500 people, a figure that does not take into account Cape Verdeans who also have dual nationality (Luxembourg or from another EU member state).
Since July, the concession for the public airport service has gone to the Vinci group, with the aim of “expanding and modernizing” the country’s four international airports and three aerodromes, with an investment of 928 million euros over 40 years.
The State will receive the equivalent of 80 million euros and the operator will also have to pay an annual percentage of gross revenues, of 2.5% in the first 20 years, rising to 7% in the last 10 years. Vinci operates in the country through Cabo Verde Airports, a company that will be exempt from various taxes in the archipelago for 15 years. The first installment for the concession, worth 35 million euros, has already been paid by Vinci to the Cape Verdean State and the company has also launched the first tranche of investments.