The first flight to the new airport was on 6 October 2005 with a flight from
Sal, Cape Verde. Even though the airport serves the capital and largest city, Praia as well as the island of Santiago, Cape Verde's busiest international airport is
Amílcar Cabral International Airport located on the smaller island of Sal. Modernization works, including a new departures hall, were scheduled for completion in July 2018. In July 2023
Vinci Airports finalized a financial arrangement to take over seven airports in Cape Verde under a concession agreement signed with the island country’s government. The company will be responsible for the funding, operation, maintenance, extension and modernization of the airports for 40 years, alongside its subsidiary ANA-Aeroportos de Portugal, which holds 30% of the concession company Cabo Verde Airports. ==Airlines and destinations==