The remote island of St Helena now has scheduled flights from Cape Town, South Africa, courtesy of Airlink.
Airlink, which operates scheduled flights within Southern Africa, introduced flights from a second South African city, to St Helena on, 7 December.
The airline now offers flights from Cape Town once a week, on Saturdays.
The route is operated with an Embraer E 190 aircraft.
ST HELENA AIRLINK FLIGHTS
4Z 338 Departs Cape Town at 09.00, arriving in Walvis Bay (Namibia) at 11.15.
The aircraft then departs at 11.45, arriving in St Helena at 13.15
The total journey time is 6 hours and 15 minutes.
4Z 339 Departs St Helena at 14.30 and returns directly to Cape Town, arriving at 20.50.
The total journey time is 4 hours and 20 minutes.
These flights will operate on Saturdays until March 29, 2025.
This service complements Airlink’s weekly Johannesburg-St Helena flights, operating on Tuesdays and which will also continue throughout the summer.
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CONNECTING A REMOTE ISLAND
St Helena is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.
The construction of the island’s runway was completed in 2015, and the airport opened in 2016.
The airport commenced commercial services on 14 October 2017, when Airlink launched flights from Johannesburg.
Before the introduction of these scheduled flights in 2017, travelling to St Helena took five days by boat, from Cape Town.
Airlink thus offers convenient seasonal flights, from both Cape Town and Johannesburg.
“For travellers with a keen sense of adventure and history, St Helena remains one of the most unspoiled and fascinating destinations to visit. It is a privilege to operate this route.” Rodger Foster, Airlink CEO and Managing Director said.
Matt Joshua, Head of Tourism for St Helena, also emphasised the importance of the Airlink flights for the island.
“By linking the Mother City directly with St Helena, Airlink provides a convenient service to a destination that holds a unique mystique for many. Cape Town serves as a vital gateway for international visitors from the UK, Europe and beyond.” Joshua said.
Landing on the island can be difficult. The short runway built on a cliff of the island often has tricky wind conditions.
