Cabo Verde Airlines is resuming flights to the United States, with a route that many people may struggle to make sense of (but as you’d expect, there’s a reason).
In this post:
Cabo Verde Airlines will fly to Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Providence will soon once again have transatlantic service, with a nonstop link to the small African nation of Cabo Verde.
The route will launch once weekly as of May 4, 2026, before increasing to twice weekly as of June 5, 2026. Specifically, the service will operate from Praia (RAI) to Sal (SID) to Providence (PVD), with the following schedule, as flagged by AeroRoutes:
VR690 Praia to Sal departing 6:15AM arriving 7:00AM
VR690 Sal to Providence departing 9:00AM arriving 1:30PM
VR693 Providence to Sal departing 4:30PM arriving 2:30AM
VR693 Sal to Praia departing 4:00AM arriving 4:45AM (+1 day)
The entire journey covers a distance of 3,466 miles, with the sector between Praia and Sal covering 129 miles, and the sector between Sal and Providence covering a distance of 3,338 miles. It’s blocked at 10hr15min westbound and 9hr15min eastbound, including the ground time.
Cabo Verde Airlines will use a Boeing 737 MAX 8 for this service, featuring 174 economy seats (there’s no premium cabin). The airline has a single 737 MAX, which is roughly seven years old. It initially flew for South Africa’s Comair, until that airline liquidated, and then Cabo Verde Airlines took the plane over in 2023.
This route marks a service resumption, as the airline last operated this route from 2015 through 2018.
Why is Cabo Verde Airlines flying to Providence?
Logically, many people may be confused by this service, since generally when an international airlines serves one destination in the United States, it’s not Providence. So what’s going on here?
Well, Rhode Island has a huge Cabo Verdean population, so this is a route intended for visiting friends and family. However, it’s also pointed out how there are broader leisure and tourism opportunities, with Cabo Verde, and particularly Sal, growing as international vacation markets, known for resorts, beaches, and competitive travel packages.
The route existed in the past, and it’s back now. The reason it was suspended was largely due to the terrible financial situation the airline was in for some time, plus the coronavirus pandemic. Fares in the market are reasonable, starting at just $250(ish) one-way.
Here’s how Iftikhar Ahmad, CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, describes this:
“The return of this service is a meaningful addition to PVD’s non-stop portfolio, which is now at 39 destinations. Rhode Island has one of the strongest Cabo Verdean communities in the United States, and this service creates a direct, convenient connection between families, cultures, and economies. We are proud to partner with TACV Cabo Verde Airlines to bring this long anticipated route to fruition.”
Bottom line
Cabo Verde Airlines is returning to the United States after an eight year pause, with flights to Providence. The airline will fly an all-economy Boeing 737 MAX once to twice weekly. It’s super cool to see this service return. While this is obviously most useful for point-to-point traffic, it could also be worth routing through Providence if you want to visit Cabo Verde, given the convenience of the route.
What do you make of Cabo Verde Airlines returning to the United States?
Anyone surprised by this route has not spent much time in RI or MA. It's not just RI with a large population - southern MA and parts of the Cape also have huge populations (Portuguese as well, which is why Azores flies there too).
I took a flight on Cabo Verde Airlines when they tried their dramatic expansion in 2019 (trying to replicate the Icelandair model with West Africa - they even had ex-FI 757s). I know the pandemic certainly was the final nail in that, but it was a pretty unpleasant experience all-around: Staff didn't know what was going on, there was no information about when planes would depart [we ended up being about 6 hours late], or...
I took a flight on Cabo Verde Airlines when they tried their dramatic expansion in 2019 (trying to replicate the Icelandair model with West Africa - they even had ex-FI 757s). I know the pandemic certainly was the final nail in that, but it was a pretty unpleasant experience all-around: Staff didn't know what was going on, there was no information about when planes would depart [we ended up being about 6 hours late], or even what gate to go to. The flight had no wifi, no entertainment, and only a single cold meal.
Didn't SATA Internacional also fly transatlantically from Providence, or was that from Boston instead?
The stop-over in Sal (90 and 120 minutes) seems unreasonably long.
Also, Ben you better be travelling at the moment, because you are posting this really, really early for US Eastern time, even for you.
@ Willmo -- Hah, indeed, am in Europe and heading home shortly. About an hour too early for me otherwise!
As a top M&A lawyer I’ve been in my office for 20 hours straight at this point, all in service of my clients.
Lol. 20 hours straight.
When youre 70 (if you live that long) you will realize only a total loser would do that.
No wonder you are traurig :D
If I would get up as early as Ben, I would also be quite Schlapp(ig) ;)
Yields will likely be helped this summer with Cape Verdeans travelling to watch their country compete at the World Cup for the first time.