TACV Cabo Verde Airlines will reinforce its fleet with a new long-range aircraft. The company has, as A Semana Online has learned, chosen Europe’s Airbus over US manufacturer Boeing as the maker of the aircraft to be purchased.

The directorship of TACV decided to “advise” the Cape Verdean government to opt for Air Bus, to the detriment of Boeing (which is the manufacturer of TACV’s current two long-range jet liners), as A Semana Online has learned from a source. The decision was made Tuesday by the directors of TACV and has been submitted by TACV general director Gilles Filiatreault to Minister of Infrastructures and Transportation Manuel Inocęncio Sousa.

According to one of A Semana Online’s sources - who made a point of emphasizing that the “recommendation” does not necessarily translate into a final “decision,” as the final choice in aircraft purchases rests with the government - the option for Air Bus is the result of an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages presented by the two manufacturers. These advantages and disadvantages, added the source, were discussed by a technical commission that had been working on the dossier, in which financial factors weighed heavily. Put to a vote, Air Bus received five favorable votes, with two commission members abstaining.

“The difference between the two aircrafts is significant, with advantages for the Air Bus,” said our source.

At this point, it is now up to the government to decide whether to go ahead with the purchase of an Air Bus or to maintain the state-owned airline’s traditional preference for Boeing, taking into account the pressure being exerted by lobbies on both sides.

Source: A Semana