Cape Verde | Airports receive new satellite navigation system

Airport safety company ASA of Cape Verdean plans to install a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) at the international airports of São Vicente and Boa Vista, the chairman of the state company said.
Sandro de Brito told Cape Verdean weekly newspaper A Semana that the GNSS provides positioning data to the aircraft, facilitating approaches, landings and take-offs in a timely manner, especially in adverse conditions.
But the biggest advantage, the chairman of ASA said, is that the installation of this system does not require a physical infrastructure with high purchase, assembly and maintenance costs, fully taking advantage of the existing infrastructure.
“At present, when pilots approach São Vicente they have to decide whether to continue or abort the trip when weather conditions are adverse, with cases where the aircraft does not even take off at the source because of poor visibility conditions at the destination airport, and the GNSS will significantly reduce the number of cancelled flights,” said Sandro Brito.
The newly appointed chairman of the public company also said that studies for the installation of the system had already begun and the process should be completed in October.
Meanwhile, the airport authorities in Providence, Rhode island (USA) announced that everything is in place for the launch of international flights by Cape Verdean airline TACV on 2 June for flights between Praia and Providence.
T.F. Green Airport, the main airport in the state of Rhode Island, received investments of USD110 million to prepare it for international flights, and on 18 June Germany’s Condor Airlines plans to start flights from Frankfurt to Providence.  MDT/Macauhub