TACV

History

TACV (Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde) traces its roots to 1958, before being reorganized as Cape Verde's national flag carrier after the country's independence from Portugal in July 1975 and becoming a fully state-owned company in 1983. For decades it connected the archipelago's scattered islands and operated long-haul routes to Lisbon, Boston, and other diaspora destinations, gradually upgrading its fleet from turboprops to Boeing 757s. Chronic financial losses led the Cape Verdean government to sign a management agreement in August 2017 handing operational control to Iceland's Loftleidir Icelandic (part of Icelandair Group) and relocating the main hub from Praia to Amílcar Cabral International Airport on Sal Island. In May 2018 the carrier announced it would drop the TACV name entirely in favour of Cabo Verde Airlines, and in March 2019 Loftleidir became majority owner with a 51% stake.

Current Operations

The airline now operates as Cabo Verde Airlines, majority-owned by Icelandair Group's Loftleidir Icelandic alongside the Cape Verdean state, and is no longer branded or marketed as TACV. It runs an ATR 72 fleet for inter-island domestic service and Boeing 737 (including 737 MAX 8 aircraft added from 2023) for international routes to Europe, Africa, and the Americas from its Sal Island hub. The rebrand was primarily cosmetic and financial rather than a full merger — the same underlying airline continues operating, now under new majority ownership and management.

Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

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