Airport guide

Nelson Mandela International AirportIATA code RAI

Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI/GVNP) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Praia, Cape Verde in Africa. The airfield connects travelers with essential regional transit routes and operating carrier options.

asa.cv/aeroportos/aeroporto-da-praia View map

Serves: Praia, Cape Verde
Codes: RAI · GVNP; IATA · ICAO
Time zone: Atlantic/Cape_Verde
Region: Africa

Airport record, updated 10 Jul 2026OurAirports, 5 Oct 2026Wikidata, 5 Oct 2026Terminals and transport not yet verifiedWhere this comes from

Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI/GVNP) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Praia, Cape Verde in Africa. Operating on Atlantic/Cape_Verde local time at coordinates 14.950°, -23.490°, the airfield functions as an active commercial transit hub for scheduled regional and international flights. Travelers navigating Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI) are encouraged to confirm terminal layouts, ground transport connections into Praia, and flight schedules with their operating carrier prior to travel.

Nelson Mandela International Airport details

Airport record · 10 Jul 2026

IATA code: RAI
ICAO code: GVNP
City: Praia
Country: Cape Verde
Region: Africa
Time zone: Atlantic/Cape_Verde
Coordinates: 14.941°, -23.485°; From OurAirports
Official website: asa.cv/aeroportos/aeroporto-da-praia (opens in a new tab); From Wikidata

Codes, region and time zone come from the Originfacts airport record (last updated 10 Jul 2026). Fields marked otherwise come from the dataset named on them. None are verified by hand against Nelson Mandela International Airport’s own pages.

RAI airport facts

OurAirports · Wikidata

Size class: Large airport; From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026); OurAirports’ own classification
Elevation: 70 m (230 ft); From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026)
Opened: 6 October 2005; Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026) — date of official opening
Operator: Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea; Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026)
Owner: Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea; Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026)
Passengers, 2024: 669,697; Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026) — no reference given there
Named after: Praia, Nelson Mandela; Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026)
Nearest airport with scheduled flights: Maio Airport MMO · 38 km; OurAirports scheduled-service flag; straight-line distance calculated

Runways at RAI

OurAirports · 5 Oct 2026

Source: OurAirports (opens in a new tab) runways data (public domain), retrieved 5 Oct 2026. Not an aeronautical source — not for navigation.

One open runway. The runway 03/21: 2,100 m, asphalt. OurAirports also lists 2 closed runways, not shown.

Runways at RAI: length, width, surface and lighting
Runway	Length	Width	Surface	Lighting
03/21	2,100 m6,890 ft	45 m	asphalt	Not listed as lit

Routes from RAI

No route records yet

Originfacts does not track any routes from RAI yet, so no route records are listed here. Check current schedules with the airlines or the airport’s own site.

Where RAI is

Calculated

3.7 km northeast

Nelson Mandela International Airport lies 3.7 km northeast of Praia city centre in a straight line. Road distance is longer; transport options are not yet verified (see terminals and transport below).

Calculated from the airport coordinates (OurAirports) and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point.

Terminals, transport and parking at RAI

Not yet verified

Terminal assignments, ground transport into Praia, parking, lounges and accessibility services have not been verified against Nelson Mandela International Airport’s own pages yet, so none are listed here.

Check directly:asa.cv/aeroportos/aeroporto-da-praia (opens in a new tab)Map of the airport location (opens in a new tab)

Before you travel

Confirm your terminal with the operating airline.
Check the check-in and bag-drop cut-off times on your booking.
Allow extra time if you need to change terminals or check bags in again.
Check your flight status before you leave for the airport.

Airports near Praia

Calculated

Straight-line distances calculated from each airport’s coordinates in the Originfacts airport records. Road distances are longer.

Nelson Mandela International Airport: common questions

Where is Nelson Mandela International Airport?

Nelson Mandela International Airport serves Praia, Cape Verde. Its coordinates in OurAirports are 14.941°, -23.485°.

What are the airport codes for Nelson Mandela International Airport?

The IATA code is RAI and the ICAO code is GVNP.

What time zone is RAI in?

Nelson Mandela International Airport is in the Atlantic/Cape_Verde time zone.

What is the official website of Nelson Mandela International Airport?

The airport’s official website is asa.cv/aeroportos/aeroporto-da-praia. For questions about a booking, contact the operating airline.

How many runways does Nelson Mandela International Airport have?

OurAirports lists one open runway at RAI: 03/21 (2,100 m (6,890 ft), asphalt).

When did Nelson Mandela International Airport open?

Wikidata gives 6 October 2005 as its official opening date.

How many passengers use Nelson Mandela International Airport?

Wikidata records 669,697 passengers for 2024, the latest year it holds.

Who operates Nelson Mandela International Airport?

Per Wikidata, RAI is operated by Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea, which also owns it.

How far is RAI from Praia city centre?

Nelson Mandela International Airport is about 3.7 km northeast of Praia city centre in a straight line, calculated from coordinates. The distance by road is longer.

What is the elevation of Nelson Mandela International Airport?

OurAirports gives RAI’s elevation as 70 m (230 ft) above sea level.

Sources

Nothing on this page is verified by hand yet. Each section comes from the dataset below, with its date where the dataset has one. Terminal, transport and parking details are left out until they can be read from Nelson Mandela International Airport’s own pages.

WhatSourceDate
Codes, location, time zoneOriginfacts airport record10 Jul 2026
Official websiteWikidata record (official website property) (opens in a new tab)5 Oct 2026
Coordinates, runways, type, elevationOurAirports (opens in a new tab) — public domain5 Oct 2026
Opening, operator, passengers, hubsWikidata item Q1191196 (opens in a new tab) — CC05 Oct 2026
Distance to city centreCalculated from airport coordinates and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point—
Nearby airportsCalculated from airport coordinates—
Terminals and transportNot yet verified—

Background reading:Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)