Cabo Verde Airlines is an international airline whose hub operates on the Island of Sal, making plans to include Nigeria in its route Jens Bjarnason, Chief Executive Officer of Cabo Verde in a chat with BusinessDay’s Ifeoma Okeke explains the airline’s plans and prospects.
Please tell us about Cabo Verde Airlines?
Cabo Verde is an international airline that began operations in 1958 as TACV, a public enterprise but became privatized in 2018 while it also acquired the necessary certifications over the years. A part of our rebranding is expansion which has brought us to Africa, Nigeria precisely where we will begin operations on the 9th of December.
Why have you decided to commence flight into Nigeria?
Starting flights in Lagos Nigeria is a very significant milestone for us. It is a part of our strategy to connect four continents which are Africa, Europe North America, South America and Lagos with its huge population and activity makes it a natural choice. We are excited to add the most populous country in Africa as one of our destinations. Nigeria has a vibrant travel sector and we look forward to servicing our customers and connecting them to Cape Verde and beyond, seamlessly.
What kind of services should passengers expect from you?
Passengers can look forward to comfort, quality and memorable travel experience on our aircraft which have 161 Economy class seats and 22 Executive Morabeza Premium Class seats.
What kind of aircraft are you starting operations with and what will be the frequencies into Lagos?
Normally, for new routes, we fly two times a week but for Lagos, it is a huge market so we will be flying five flights per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Boeing 757 is the aircraft for us in terms of size and capability. It can fly from Cape Verde to North America to Brazil and deep into Africa. We did a rebranding of the airline to reflect in our image the vibrancy and the colour of Cape Verde and for this reason, all the aircraft are painted different colours with different names reflecting the local uniqueness and colour of Cape Verde.
Beyond Lagos are you looking at operating from other domestic routes such as Abuja, Kano, shortly?
We are trying to partner with the domestic airlines for inter-line agreements and partnerships, so Lagos will not be the only area. It is very important when building the market. It is not big enough for you to fly direct but you fly to cities and have a partnership with local airlines to attract passengers to your flight.
Apart from Nigeria what other destinations do you operate from and into?
People from Lagos will be able to connect to Washington DC, Boston, and Lisbon. We have four destinations in Brazil, we fly to Europe so we are connecting different countries from Nigeria to Cape Verde.
Who are your target customers and passengers in Nigeria?
We are targeting Africans in the diaspora, African entrepreneurs, African explorers and business and leisure travellers.
What policies would you like the government of the country to implement to ensure you operate in a conducive environment?
Africa is not always an easy place to do business so I think the government can do a lot to help. I think one of the important things is that the African States need to harmonize their standard in terms of regulation, safety, aviation security following the international standard. In Africa, each state has its system regulation and license which makes it difficult to run an airline especially in getting authorization or to hire a pilot from one country to another. There should also be an open market in Nigeria so that each airline is free to fly within the African continent that would make the business a lot easier and less bureaucratic.
Having conducted a feasibility study in the Nigerian market, what are the major attractions for you in the market?
The mission is to connect four major continents especially Africa where Nigeria and Lagos are a big part of especially in terms of population, economic activity and expansion dynamics so to be a big player in Africa you need to be present here.
What do you envisage as your greatest challenge on this new route and how do you hope to tackle it?
Just like in all new markets, it is mainly about creating awareness, connecting with local people, local travel agents, and the local market. Each market has a different method of operation but we are working very hard and building relationships with travel agents and convincing them of this new opportunity and if we are successful with that, that is a key part of being successful in the market.
Are you also looking to airlift cargoes alongside passengers on your flight?
This is primarily a passenger operation there might be opportunities for cargo later.
Do you have plans to employ indigenous cabin crew, engineers, pilots, etc?
We will have services at the airport which could be handled by indigenes just like we normally do but the crew flying will be our crew which is Cape Verdean people.
With the island of Sal being your hub, are you looking at end-to-end passenger traffic or you are looking to help passengers connect flights to other destinations?
We have three basic types of passengers we are trying to reach out to, the local market in Cape Verde visiting Africa, although it is small, it is still important. The larger part of the market is connecting the person flying from Brazil or to Europe and the Nigerian going for vacation which is important.
The airline industry is a very competitive market, what are you doing to stand out from competitors?
There are several ways we can separate ourselves firstly, because of the limited number of international flights, we can offer a travel time that is a lot shorter than many people today. We can also highlight good service on board which includes seat comfort, good food and we can tie the beauty, culture, and uniqueness of Cape Verde which we can achieve with the interior and exterior of the aircraft. As an international operator, Cabo Verde Airlines has been implementing regularly the ever more demanding requirements in the area of aeronautical security, imposed not only by the European Union but also by the United States of America. In February of 2009, the company acquired its registry in the IOSA program of IATA. In May 2018, TACV changed its name to Cabo Verde Airlines. It is certified as IOSA Operator, the IATA Operational Safety Audit Program.
