AirportsNelson Mandela International Airport is a large airport serving Praia, in Sotavento Islands, Cape Verde. It has scheduled airline flights. Its IATA code, the three letters printed on tickets and baggage tags, is RAI.
Key facts
- IATA code
- RAI
- ICAO code
- GVNP
- City
- Praia
- State or region
- Sotavento Islands
- Country
- Cape Verde
- Kind
- Large airport
- Coordinates
- 14.9411° N, 23.4847° W
- Elevation
- 70 m (230 ft)
- Runways
- 1
- Longest runway
- 2,100 m (6,890 ft)
Airport codes
On a ticket or a baggage tag, RAI means Nelson Mandela International Airport. Pilots and air traffic controllers use a different, four-letter ICAO code: GVNP. ICAO codes that begin with G belong to West Africa. How the two kinds of code differ.
Where it is
The airport lies at 14.9411° N, 23.4847° W. It stands 70 metres (230 feet) above sea level.
Local time
Time now at the airport: loading
Time zone Atlantic/Cape Verde, taken from the nearest town in the data. Flight times on tickets are always in the local time of each airport.
Runways
Nelson Mandela International Airport has 1 runway in the data. The longest is 2,100 metres (6,890 feet). That suits narrow-body jets and regional aircraft. Among the 7 airports of Cape Verde on this site with runway data, its longest runway ranks number 3.
| Runway | Length | Width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/21 | 2,100 m 6,890 ft | 45 m | Asphalt | not listed |
The numbers in a runway name give its compass direction. How runway numbers work.
Nearest airports with scheduled flights
| Airport | Code | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Maio AirportVila do Maio | MMO | 38 km |
| São Filipe AirportSão Filipe | SFL | 107 km |
| Aristides Pereira International AirportRabil | BVC | 147 km |
| Preguiça AirportPreguiça | SNE | 202 km |
| Amílcar Cabral International AirportEspargos | SID | 208 km |
Distance to major airports
| To | Distance | Rough flying time |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi (DEL)India | 10,215 km | 12 h 50 min |
| Mumbai (BOM)India | 10,114 km | 12 h 40 min |
| Dubai (DXB)United Arab Emirates | 8,207 km | 10 h 25 min |
| London Heathrow (LHR)United Kingdom | 4,550 km | 6 h 00 min |
| New York JFK (JFK)United States | 5,614 km | 7 h 15 min |
| Los Angeles (LAX)United States | 9,528 km | 12 h 00 min |
| Singapore (SIN)Singapore | 13,962 km | 17 h 20 min |
| Tokyo Haneda (HND)Japan | 14,131 km | 17 h 30 min |
| Sydney (SYD)Australia | 17,835 km | 22 h 00 min |
Distances are the shortest path over the globe, worked out from the coordinates. Flying times are rough estimates for a direct jet flight. They do not mean that a direct flight exists. Work out the distance to any airport.
Links
Airport data: OurAirports, as downloaded on 11 November 2026. This page does not show live flights, terminals or airlines. For those, use the airport's or the airline's own site. See About and data sources.