Statement by Ambassador Jeff Daigle
Arrival of Cabo Verde Airlines’ Boeing 737-8 Aircraft
Nelson Mandela International Airport, Praia, Cabo Verde
July 20, 2023
The arrival of the newest addition to Cabo Verde Airline’s fleet – its very first Boeing 737-8 aircraft – symbolizes the extraordinary resiliency and revitalization of Cabo Verde Airlines, as well as the latest and very best in American aviation engineering.
We offer congratulations to the Government of Cabo Verde and the Ministries of Transport and Tourism for their success in arranging this delivery, which is sure to have a positive impact on the Cabo Verdean economy and expand Cabo Verde’s connections to the world.
The U.S. Embassy in Praia is proud that Boeing – one of America’s leading companies with a more than 100-year history of innovation – is collaborating with Cabo Verde’s flag carrier to expand the airline’s route structure.
Since Cabo Verde Airlines started operating jet aircraft in 1996, it has been an all-Boeing operator. In 2019, the Cabo Verde flag carrier had six Boeing 757 aircraft in its fleet.
Cabo Verde’s tourism and aviation industry was severely challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic, but with support from its many friends, including the United States, Cabo Verde weathered the crisis. The country’s economy is experiencing a remarkable recovery, especially the tourism sector. As part of this continued recovery, we are happy to see Cabo Verde Airlines revitalize and grow its fleet with more Boeing products.
Cabo Verde is in a unique geographical location at the crossroads of four continents, and the Boeing 737-8 is best suited for the airline to relaunch prominent routes to Africa, Europe, South America, and North America.
The 737-8 airplane delivers excellent economics and improved environmental performance, reducing fuel use and emissions by 20 percent, and provides increased passenger comfort. It is among the safest airplanes operated across the globe, with an impressive 99.6 percent reliability factor. The 737-8 is a cost-effective, stylish, comfortable, safe, and reliable aircraft – reasons why more than 100 airlines operate or have on order over 5,000 of this model.
The new 737-8 will enable Cabo Verde Airlines to more effectively compete and grow market share, key factors in the airline’s “take-off” relaunch strategy. It will bring more tourists to Cabo Verde and strengthen connections with its diaspora.
Forging stronger economic and trade ties between the United States and Cabo Verde is an integral part of our strategic bilateral relationship, and the renewed partnership between Cabo Verde Airlines and Boeing, using state-of-the-art American technology, illustrates how “the sky’s the limit” when our two great nations work together.
Cabo Verde Airlines’ success will expand economic opportunities across the breadth of Cabo Verdean society, complementing U.S. efforts to promote Cabo Verdean prosperity through a broad array of economic growth and commercial and humanitarian engagement.
In the end, the success of the Cabo Verde Airlines-Boeing partnership is ultimately just one symbol of the value and potential of the U.S.-Cabo Verde relationship.
