On Monday, 9 February 2026 His Excellency Governor Nigel Phillips CBE and the Honourable Chief Minister Dr Rebecca Cairns-Wicks MBE made a statement on the current airport disruption to the media.

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

SAMS Radio 1 – https://open.spotify.com/episode/4U3nlUUz4VXDB4eXpBWlwy?si=FDItmOqpRieGCJdZDaLepA

Saint FM – https://open.spotify.com/episode/4YiPPeR7kBLP4N53mXpEh5?si=YiyUYuVnQnaK-4LbT4UwDA

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

[Governor]

The Chief Minister and I know that many of you are concerned about the disruption at the airport and the impact it is having on individuals, families, businesses and medical needs. We want to provide an update on progress to-date and next steps.

First, we are pleased to confirm that the airport has now secured regulatory approval from Air Safety Support International to operate at Category 4. This is a very important step and has only been possible thanks to the Herculean efforts of the airport team, our Fire and Rescue Service, the Gold Command group and the regulator.

Most importantly, this means medevac flights can operate.

Category 4 also means that small aircraft can land. This is not a solution to replace general passenger transport. But it does provide a safe and viable route for getting essential spare parts and specialist engineers to the island. This will help us move forward at speed with getting the airport fully operational again.

At the same time, we need to manage expectations. Category 4 does not allow for Airlink’s commercial flights to resume, that requires Category 6 status.

At this time the only flights that have been cancelled are those that were due to depart on 7, 10, 14 and 15 February. This is a moving picture and future flights remain under active review. Airlink have currently suspended future bookings on St Helena flights to avoid confusion until there is greater clarity on when flights will resume.

We are aware of speculation circulating on social media, including questions of blame and calls for investigations. We understand that people want answers, so does government, so does the airport team.   

Let us be clear: we will absolutely examine what has happened, not least because none of us want this to happen again. That work will be done with transparency, but it must be done in the right way and at the right time.  We will not take any action that prejudices the proper processes that will follow.

For now it is critical we keep our eye on the ball and nothing can be allowed to interfere with the immediate operational effort to restore our commercial air access.

Chief Minister…

[Chief Minister]

As the Governor has set out, this is a challenging time for many and I know the airport’s temporary closure has caused real worry and disruption. I want to assure everyone we are all doing our very best to support those people affected and resolve the situation as soon as possible. This is a collective effort by many and I would like to thank everyone for their efforts and patience as we work through this together. Beyond Gold Command, this includes relevant agencies, tourism, private businesses and local media services.

For now, our priorities remain:

  • restoring the airport to Category 6 as safely and quickly as possible;
  • maintaining medevac capability and vital medical provision;
  • supporting everyone directly affected; and getting everyone where they need to be as soon as possible.
  • and keeping the community updated with clear, verified information, so people can plan and so misinformation does not add to the stress. It is important that people try to avoid speculation.

Gold Command continues to meet daily, and they are working closely with all local agencies and international partners.

Contact points have been shared in the press and online for those with enquiries about bookings, travel logistics; immigration; pharmacy and health.

[Governor]

Thank you, Chief Minister.

To close.  The community’s patience and resilience are hugely appreciated. We remain fully committed to guiding the Island through this calmly, transparently and undertake to share updates as they become available

On behalf of the Chief Minister and myself, thank you for your attention..

#StHelena #AirAccess

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