The first ever commercial flight to St Helena from South Africa touched down on the island at the weekend. 

Airlink brought in this inaugural flight from Johannesburg, following a six hour journey with a fuelling stop in Windhoek, Namibia.

The airline will now operate a weekly service between St Helena and Johannesburg and St Helena and Cape Town (via the stopover at Windhoek International Airport).

Speaking about the flight, HE Governor Lisa Phillips, said:

“For St Helena, today is the start of a bright new future. We are determined to make sure that air services work to benefit all St Helenians and bring about a higher standard of living for those on the Island. We are open for business and investment and we know tourists will marvel at the beauty of the Island. We are happy to welcome our visitors to the ‘secret of the South Atlantic’.”

Airlink will also operate a monthly charter service between St Helena and Ascension Island. This service will commence with the first flight from St Helena on Saturday, 18 November 2017, and returning on Sunday, 19 November. Thereafter the flight will take place on the second weekend of every month.