Sal Island
Sal is a conditional A220-family research candidate, approximately 2,993 NM from Oslo by direct geography. The cited official airport chapter is dated 18 April 2024 and requires a current replacement. Dust, crosswinds, airport and aircraft-specific performance, seasonal winds, actual fuel and alternate suitability remain unresolved; a long runway alone does not prove nonstop capability.
Evidence and limitations
The portfolio review identifies further evidence to obtain. End-to-end routing, current notices and aircraft-specific performance have not been cleared; this remains a research question.
Distance is not an operating range calculation. This material does not establish airport, airspace, fuel, payload or regulatory feasibility.
What remains to be tested
Sal is a conditional A220-family research candidate, approximately 2,993 NM from Oslo by direct geography. The cited official airport chapter is dated 18 April 2024 and requires a current replacement. Dust, crosswinds, airport and aircraft-specific performance, seasonal winds, actual fuel and alternate suitability remain unresolved; a long runway alone does not prove nonstop capability.
Study source references
Round 22 · 2 Nov 2026
Data position: AIRPORT EVIDENCE SUFFICIENT FOR FURTHER MISSION ANALYSIS
Airport basic data insufficient for final aircraft suitability
What is not yet proven: 2016–2025 actual route winds, two-way validated IFR paths, OEM trip fuel and A220 runway performance.
The airport evidence makes this a research candidate, not an operating or safety approval.
SalORIGINAL GRAPHIC / NOT A PHOTOGRAPHSal
Salt, sand and open water
Sal’s bare volcanic ground makes the ocean look brighter still. Around Santa Maria, fishing boats and cafés share the shore; inland, pale salt flats and low ridges draw quiet lines across the island.
Read the destination story