The islands of the Azores and Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) archipelagos began on Saturday to be linked by air with the first Azores Airlines flight, of Azorean group SATA, “and the company is interested in a partnership with Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde (TACV),” said the chairman of the board of directors.

Paulo Menezes, who was speaking in Praia on the arrival of the inaugural flight that will connect the two archipelagos, with an extension to Boston, in the United States, and other European and North American destinations where SATA currently flies, said the company is interested in assessing “all the possibilities,” with TACV and the governments of the Azores and Cabo Verde.

“It’s a matter that we have to study with the government and TACV. We have the conditions to develop a strategic partnership, right from this operation, which can be extended to other areas,” said Menezes, quoted by Portuguese news agency Lusa.

The Cape Verdean government has a restructuring plan in place for the privatisation of the international operation of flagship airline Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde (TACV), and has agreed with Binter Cabo Verde to give up domestic routes as of 1 August.

Menezes said that the connection between Ponta Delgada (island of São Miguel) and Praia, Cabo Verde, will be carried out with “an A320 with capacity for 165 passengers,” with two flights a week planned in the summer period and one in the winter, or a total of 104 flights between the two cities. (macauhub)