OFFICIAL OPENING OF ST HELENA AIRPORT

Save the Date – SATURDAY 21 MAY 2016

The historic opening of St Helena Airport is planned for the morning of Saturday 21 May 2016, starting at around 10.30am – St Helena’s National Day.  It will be marked by a public ceremony at the Airport, with Royal guest HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, in attendance.

All members of the public are invited to attend this special event and special transport arrangements will be in place (further details to follow).

Under ‘Any Other Business’ in ExCo today, the Acting Governor advised that the Bank Holiday in Lieu of St Helena’s Day would now fall on Friday 20 May 2016.  This would enable the St Helena Day celebrations to take place on that Friday and for the Airport opening ceremony to take place on the Saturday, 21 May. 

Organised by SHG, ESH, New Horizons & Basil Read – and subject, of course, to prior certification of St Helena Airport – the official opening ceremony at the Airport will last for about an hour and a half. Key elements will include:

• The event will take place in the morning in front of the Airport Terminal main entrance

• Shuttle Buses to and from the Airport will be provided from designated pick-up and drop-off points, with further details to follow 
• Private vehicles will be allowed limited access to certain parking areas to meet shuttle buses
• The ceremony will include a Blessing, attendance by the Governor, St Helenians and HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. There will be short speeches – as well as music from the Combined Band and a march-past of the Island’s Uniformed Contingents

Preparations for the Airport Opening ceremony are ongoing and further details will follow in due course.

HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, will embark on a Royal programme of visits as soon as he arrives at St Helena on Friday 20 May 2016. This programme will very much focus on community engagement and once agreed, details to the public will follow.

Win VIP Tickets to the Official Airport Opening Ceremony

The Great St Helenian Take-off competition is currently running on the SHG Facebook page: www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt, offering overseas Saints and anyone abroad with a strong connection to St Helena a chance to win VIP tickets to the Official Airport Opening Ceremony at the Airport site on St Helena.

There are five pairs of complimentary tickets to be won, including return travel to and from St Helena.

Competition details are available on the SHG Facebook page and mobile phone users can access the same via: http://woobox.com/qvk2fq/h2p2nu.

Entrants will need to provide their full name and contact details. Entrants will also be asked to answer four questions – these answers will not be judged but will help us to further promote the competition and post interesting content about how our entrants are connected to St Helena.

Names will be automatically entered into a prize draw and winners will be randomly selected by a special computer application and notified that they have won a seat on the official opening flight, including free connecting flight to and from London Heathrow and Johannesburg, departing on Thursday 19 May.

All competition entrants must agree to the competition rules, including winners taking part in any reasonable promotional events during and after the official opening of St Helena Airport.

The competition will run until 4pm on Saturday 30 April 2016.

A full copy of the terms and conditions can be found on the SHG Facebook page and can also be downloaded from the SHG website https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/publications/

SHG

12 April 2016