Summary

Following the arrival of parts, tools, and specialist engineers on yesterday’s chartered flight we have begun shift working at the airport to return the fire tenders to full operational status. This may take a number of days, but the St Helena Government (SHG) remains focused on restoring the airport’s Category 6 status to allow commercial air services to resume as soon as possible.

Air Operations

SHG was able to utilise the seats on the outbound leg of yesterday’s charter flight to facilitate further overseas medical referrals to leave the island. Unfortunately, these passengers were delayed overnight at Lanseria airport when they were initially denied entry to South Africa by immigration officials. After considerable efforts by multiple parties, they were finally allowed to continue their journeys this morning.

A privately organised charter flight is expected to operate today. We are grateful to those who have commissioned this flight for the option to fill seats on the inbound leg of the journey, allowing us to repatriate a further 6 individuals. 

Flight Decision Update

Gold Command continues to closely monitor our progress towards restoring Category 6 status. As a result, we keep future flights under active review. While future bookings remain closed, we are only cancelling existing flights when we are certain they cannot operate. In some cases, this may require a late decision. We appreciate that this is inconvenient but thank you for your understanding – we do not want to cancel flights which we subsequently discover could have operated.

Community Engagement

Gold Commander Ian Todd OBE provided further details during local radio broadcasts today. You can listen to his interview here.

Ian also highlighted the dedication of the staff involved in the recovery efforts. Teams across several agencies have been working together, often around the clock, to restore the island’s air access.

Unfortunately, there have been some reported instances of abuse, particularly against airport staff. These are unacceptable and only undermine our ability to deliver a quick resolution. Now is the time for community cohesion and resilience.

Given the focus over the weekend is likely to be operational as the engineers work on the fire tenders, the next significant update is planned for Monday.

Updated Q&A

An updated Q&A can be accessed here.

Contacts:

Health Support: Jamestown Hospital at 22500.

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