Following the recent airport recategorisation, the St Helena Government (SHG) is pleased to provide a positive update on the island’s air and sea access, as well as progress toward restoring full aviation services.

Arrival of Chartered Flight: Replacement Parts and Engineers

An SHG chartered flight arrived in St Helena this afternoon. This flight is instrumental in our recovery efforts, bringing the necessary spare parts, tools and oil in addition to two specialist engineers to begin immediate work on the airport’s fire tenders.

Repair work will now commence, with teams working additional shifts. However, repairs are complex and may still take a number of days. Once reassembled we will be able to test the tenders to ensure they meet the necessary criteria to return us to Category 6 capability.

We were able to utilise spare capacity on the aircraft to repatriate six people, including returning overseas medical referrals (OMRs) and critical employees. They were selected against clear prioritisation criteria. The outbound flight also enabled eight people to leave the island, with OMRs and other health concerns taking most of the seats.

Island Resilience

St Helena Island remains reliant upon sea freight as well as air services. The public should be reassured that after a period of excessive sea swell, the MV Karoline safely docked at Rupert’s this morning and has begun unloading cargo.

Tourism: Arrival of MV Azamara Journey

Yesterday, St Helena also welcomed the cruise ship MV Azamara Journey.

Cruise ship visits remain a regular and highly valued feature of our tourism calendar. Local tour operators and businesses were able to capitalise on the visit at a critical time, with over 200 passengers coming ashore.

Unfortunately, the ship was operating at full capacity and so was unable to offer any berths to those waiting to leave the island.

We remain focused on the full restoration of scheduled air services and thank the community for their continued patience, resilience, and support as we work toward this goal.

Updated Q&A

An updated Q&A can be accessed here.

Contacts:

#StHelena #AirAccess

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