Ally

The Atlantic Ocean islands of Cape Verde are to be linked with the first direct flights from the UK this winter.



Independent carrier Astraeus is working with tour operators including Holiday Options to offer holidays to the islands, roughly the same latitude as northern Caribbean destinations.



Flights to Sal, the main international airport on the group of 10 islands which gained independence from Portugal in 1975, start in November.



The airline will run a weekly Boeing 757 service from Gatwick and a 148-seat 737 from Manchester, both starting on November 2. Prices are likely to start at £329 return.



The flights will take about six hours to reach Cape Verde, 400 miles off the west coast of Africa.



The airline said that there is a probability that return flights from Sal to Manchester will need to make a short stop at Banjul in The Gambia for "operational reasons".



Astraeus commercial director Jonathan Hinkles said: "These islands are rapidly establishing themselves as a new and different destination, with a number of environment-sensitive property and hotel developments taking place throughout the main islands in the group.



"It is, however, a relatively new holiday destination for discerning travellers - but has only previously been accessible by air via southern European or African airports, or by sea."



The climate as a whole on the islands is classed as dry tropical with an average temperature ranging between 21C to 31C with water temperatures between 22C and 27C. There are two seasons, a dry season between November and July and a comparatively moderate humid season between August and October. Daily sunshine averages six to seven hours between August and October and 10 to 12 hours for the rest of the year.