The Nelson Mandela International Airport is located in our country’s capital and largest city, Praia on the Island of Santiago. It’s a well-known fact that this airport is not as busy as the Amílcar Cabral International Airport located on the island of Sal, it’s still an important gateway to our country and for a lot of people, and it’s their first touchpoint with Cabo Verde.
The airport was inaugurated as the Praia International Airport in October 2005 and replaced the old Francisco Mendes International Airport. The airport was then renamed after South Africa's former president and an icon of freedom on the continent Nelson Mandela in January 2012.
This airport is strategically located to be accessible to as many people as possible. It’s located about 3 km northeast of the city center of Praia in the southeastern part of Santiago Island.
The airport (IATA: RAI ICAO: GVNP) received its first flight from Sal. With statistics in 2017 showing 662,356 passengers, 11,236 operations and 959 metric tonnes of cargo passed through this airport.
Nelson Mandela International Airport has grown from strength to strength year after year, even if you don’t arrive at our country through this airport, it’s a must visit during your time in Cabo Verde.
Flights are operated from this airport to destinations across Africa, North America, and Europe; you can also fly to a wide range of destinations within our country. It just goes to show how important this piece of infrastructure is to our country.
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