St Helena Airport

About St Helena Airport

An airport on St Helena was initially proposed in 1999 to replace the ageing RMS St Helena as the main access provider to the island. Currently the RMS St Helena is vital to the island and as well as bringing mail and vital supplies, it can also carry a small number of tourists, estimated at 1000 per year. However the journey takes about 14 days from the UK and about 7 from Cape Town in South Africa. This coupled with the ships scheduled retirement in 2010, an Airport is believed to be the right alternative.

A site has been located on the East of the island near Prosperous Bay Plain. This is the only piece of land suitable on St Helena for a runway. It is believed that the runway will be 2250 meters in length - long enough for planes as large as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737-800 to land, both of which are capable of carrying 200 passengers. The suggested site for the airport has caused controversy as the survival of some of St Helena's rarest birds depends upon the land being preserved.

Whilst no one has been awarded the contract of constructing the Airport yet, there has been plenty of interest. Shelco (St Helena Leisure Corporation) proposed an airport and resort complex, consisting of the airport itself along with a large hotel complex and golf course. Flights were planned to Africa and Europe as well as the Falkland Islands, Dubai, Bermuda and Ascension Island. The Department for International Development (Dfid) refused the proposal.

As of February 2007, 4 companies have been pre qualified to bid on the design, build and operator contract and a further 3 companies have been pre qualified to For the Air Service Provider contract and will be responsible for flights in and out of St Helena Airport.

Although an initial date of 2010 was announced for the the completion of the airport, it is now suggested that it will not be operation until 2011 or 2012 at the earliest.

About St Helena

St Helena is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic ocean. As well as the Island of St Helena, the territory also consists of Ascension Island and the Tristan Da Cunha island group.

Since its discovery in 1502 by the Portuguese, St Helena became an important stop on the shipping route from the UK to India and many stopped off to replenish supplies and rest. The island is believed to have had a permanent population from the 1600's and the figure stands at about 4000 today.

St Helena is most widely known for housing Napoleon Bonepart when he was exiled their is 1815. Because of this, 2 places on the Island are now owned by the French - Longwood house where Napoleon lived during his stay and Sane valley where he was buried (although his remains were taken back to France is 1840).