BestFly's operation in Cape Verde started almost a month ago and since then, according to Nuno Pereira, the airline has operated more than 100 flights between the islands of the archipelago, with an average occupancy rate of 68 percent, above expectations initials, which were 50 percent.
"The 68 percent occupancy rate is well above the forecast and already makes the operation sustainable," said to Lusa the director general of BestFly, the only company that is currently operating internal flights in the archipelago.
The group of Angolan origin was chosen by the Cape Verdean government, after consulting the market, to assume, as of 17 May, an emergency concession, for six months, of the public service for the inter-island passenger air transport. The choice was announced on May 14th by the Government, given the absence, for several weeks, of tickets and flights scheduled by Transportes Interilhas de Cabo Verde (TICV, of the Spanish group Binter) from May 17th – in an apparent dispute with the Government, demanding financial support due to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic -, this being the only one that operated, for almost three years, the internal air connections.
The director-general of the BestFly company had previously assumed the objectives of lowering the price of domestic flights in Cape Verde and remaining beyond the six-month emergency contract.
"What we committed to the Government of Cape Verde was to find a solution in which the State of Cape Verde had no expense and we, as a company, had no expense. Achieving 'breakeven' [financial balance] is our objective" , he said, in an interview before Lusa, in Praia.
Nuno Pereira guaranteed that despite the difficulties in the sector, with a sharp drop in demand in the last year, due to the absence of tourism, the market study carried out suggests that it continues to be "a very appealing business".
"We have our operation very well organized, with cost containment, with technical and operational efficiencies, because obviously we cannot lose money. But the idea is not to come earn much money either and this is reflected in the price of tickets. Go. download, they will be cheaper, that's the idea," said Nuno Pereira.
"That was our commitment to Cape Verde. It was to bring transport solutions at a price that is balanced and consistent with the current situation in the world," he added.
The BestFly group is the result of a family-owned company created in Angola and also operates in geographies such as Dubai, Republic of Congo or Portugal.
The operation in Cape Verde, where the group claims to have its own company, started with operator BestFly Angola, while awaiting certification by the Civil Aviation Authority (AAC) as a Cape Verdean operator, and with an ATR72-600 aircraft, foreseeing the arrival from Monday to end of June.
"It just doesn't arrive sooner because of the maintenance it is being subjected to, as soon as it is ready it will come to Cape Verde", guaranteed the company's general manager, assuming that BestFly's objective in the archipelago is "to continue after six months " of the emergency concession contract.
