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From Island Hops to Aviationtag: The Legacy of Cabo Verde Airlines and the ATR 72 D4-CBU
In this blog, we dive into the rich history of Cabo Verde Airlines and share the story behind our D4-CBU Aviationtag edition. Enjoy the read, and don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance to win a prize!
The History of Cabo Verde Airlines
Cabo Verde Airlines, founded in 1958 as TACV (Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde), started as a domestic carrier in the Cape Verde archipelago, connecting the islands and later expanding into international routes. In the early 1990s, as tourism in Cape Verde began to flourish, the airline expanded its fleet and routes to meet increasing demand. The airline, headquartered in Praia, played a crucial role in connecting Cape Verde to destinations in Europe, West Africa, and the Americas.
However, by the mid-2000s, TACV struggled with financial issues, leading to its partial privatization in 2019 when a majority stake was acquired by Loftleidir, part of the Icelandair Group. The airline was rebranded as Cabo Verde Airlines, shifting its focus to become a hub carrier linking Africa and Europe through its home base on the island of Sal. Despite several efforts to revive the airline, challenges such as the global pandemic in 2020 caused further disruptions, but the airline continues to serve as a symbol of Cape Verde’s connectivity to the world.
Today, Cabo Verde Airlines operates a much smaller fleet than in its peak years, focusing on Boeing 737-700 aircraft. This fleet is well-suited to its international routes, connecting Cape Verde with Europe, Africa, and South America. The airline has evolved, but it continues to play an important role in Cape Verde's connectivity with the world.
Aviationtag ATR 72 D4-CBU Collection Alle
The Aviationtag ATR 72 Edition
One of the standout aircraft in TACV’s earlier fleet was the ATR 72-212, registered D4-CBU. This plane serve the airline from 2007 to 2017, connecting the Cape Verdean archipelago with its distinctive silhouette in the sky. Named “Baltazar Lope,” the D4-CBU became a familiar sight for passengers traveling between the islands, carrying not only people but also their dreams and aspirations.
The D4-CBU, with its 68-seat all-economy configuration, had no business class, emphasizing practicality for the inter-island routes. After a decade of faithful service, it was retired and stored in Sønderborg, Denmark, in 2017. Our team discovered this ATR 72 during its retirement and was captivated by its vibrant colors, which inspired us to upcycle parts of its fuselage into a limited Aviationtag edition. Although we initially hesitated to release another ATR edition due to the number of recent ATR models we’ve worked with, the unique colors of the D4-CBU left us no choice.
Have you ever flown with Cabo Verde Airlines? Or do you have any memorable experiences on an ATR 72 flight? Share your stories in the comments below – the most interesting one will win a special Cabo Verde-themed prize!
Thanks for sharing that story, Robert. Scary but with a happy end. This story will be awareded with a little prize, feel free to reach out to fans @ aviationtag.com
Nice history about Cabo Verde Airlines and it's origin. I really like the colors they had for this airplane, looks stunning and now I understand why AviationTag didn't pass on this opportunity for this edition. However, I have never been able to fly in an ATR, I wish I had the opportunity, but the ones operating in my country for TAME were sold when the airline ceased operations. I want to ride someday an ATR to finally check it on my aircraft list, and also an ATR-72 on my Aviationtag list, because in this case, my collection only has a tag from the ATR-42 operating in Colombia for Satena, a wonderful edition by the way!
I'm very happy to have seen D4-CBU live in Sønderborg just before it was scrapped, so for me it's a really nice addition to my collection :)
Very spezial aircraft and interesting to read about the history of Cabo Verde Airlines. In my opinion a great addition to the already existing portfolio of airlines from around the world. Unfortunally I didn’t get the chance to fly on an ATR so far. But that is definitely something I am looking forward to in the future.
ATR is my favorite aircraft my aviationtag collection is now focusing in turbo prop aircraft
This Cuba version is so unique and beautiful
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