Following yesterday’s announcement that Airlink flights to St Helena are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, 17 February, HE the Governor and the Chief Minister delivered a joint radio address to the public.

This was broadcast on SAMS Radio 1 and Saint FM and is available on Spotify:

SAMS Radio 1 – https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zigfXg0n0senZ7JIHDvkX?si=Zm97n4jBTx2l18aTmsx8xw

Saint FM – https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XCPPyVYHnTVsoTpVycL1w

For those unable to listen to the broadcast, the transcript appears below:

[Governor]

After a challenging week, the Chief Minister and I would like to update you on the restoration of air operations

Our airport mechanics, supported by two specialist engineers from fire appliance manufacturer Marcé, have worked incredibly hard, operating in shifts, to complete the repairs to appliance R1.

We are extremely grateful to them for their efforts and to St Helena Fire and Rescue Service, whose support is instrumental in regaining Category 6 status.

I am delighted that this has now been restored and, subject to the weather, scheduled flights will begin again tomorrow, 17 February.

Repairs will continue to make R2 operational and R3 will undergo further work to improve its current capabilities.

The Airport team, with support from the Governor’s Office and the FCDO, have been investigating options to provide a long-term replacement for the existing airport fire tenders R1 and R2. The team have been working at pace to source replacements that will meet the stringent requirements for airport firefighting and be suitable for long term use in the challenging environmental conditions experienced here on St Helena. They have been engaging with other airports to ensure what we buy will not only be compliant but will work well in our remote context. 

We still have work to do, but once operations are fully back to normal, we will make good on the need to investigate the circumstances leading up to the airport closure. We will do so independently and transparently. The airline industry remains one of the safest on the planet and we will continue to follow their best practices to ensure that it remains so.

Chief Minister…

[Chief Minister]

Thank you, Governor.

Sunday’s announcement will have come as a huge relief to everyone.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the whole community of St Helena and those passengers awaiting travel here and overseas for your patience and understanding. The last 10 days has been challenging but you have shown just how our community spirit, strength and resilience has helped to get through it.

Thanks to the incredible hard work of so many, and over the weekend the long hours put in by the mechanics at the airport, supported by specialist engineers from Marcé and to the Fire and Rescue Service. We can now get people to where they need to be.

Residents overseas and visitors currently stranded have been supported throughout this period by many individuals both here and overseas and in particular I would like to acknowledge the Solomons Shipping and Travel team led by Kerry; The Tourist Office team led by Jono; the Health team for helping our visitors to access healthcare and chronic health medication, our tour operators, hoteliers and businesses who have all stepped up to support our visitors during this challenging time. To everyone, your professionalism and generosity has been overwhelming and helped to limit the impact on St Helena’s reputation. Your actions and response continue to demonstrate why St Helena remains resilience and a unique destination for visitors.

Our focus now needs to be on recovery. I want to reassure our business community that the Government acknowledges the challenges you have faced. Colleagues in SHG are already talking to businesses to understand the scale of both the short and long term implications the closure may have had. Over the coming weeks we will consider what support we are able to offer to those who have been affected. 

As the Governor has said we are also exploring options to build resilience at the Airport with the prospect of new Fire Tenders being funded shortly. Thanks to the support of the FCDO and the Governor’s Office.  

May I reiterate my thanks to all of those who have been instrumental in returning travel to and from our island back to normality.

[Governor]

In closing. It will remain busy but we are making good progress.

On behalf of the Chief Minister and myself, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the professionalism displayed in overcoming this major incident.

Thank you.

Statement by Chair of the Board of St Helena Airport Ltd

In addition to the radio broadcast, the Chair of the Board of St Helena Airport Ltd made the following written statement:

“On behalf of the St Helena Airport Limited (SHAL) Board, our management team, our staff, and on my own behalf, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all parties who have worked tirelessly to restore airport operations and enable the safe resumption of scheduled flights from 17 February 2026.

We recognise the significant disruption the events of recent days have caused for our community, visitors, airline partners, and businesses. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we prioritised safety and worked methodically with our partners to return to normal operations. Safety remains our foremost priority. The decision to resume flights follows the completion of the necessary checks and readiness actions to ensure we are operating in full compliance with applicable requirements.

Looking ahead, we are working closely with the St Helena Government (SHG) and partners to strengthen the airport’s long-term resilience. This includes exploring replacement options for firefighting appliances and undertaking a comprehensive review on what are the factors that have led us to this situation.

We are grateful to SHG colleagues, emergency services, suppliers, and our dedicated SHAL team for their sustained efforts throughout this period.”

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