Back in business: Remote St Helena island’s airport reopens after week-long closure
February 17, 2026
The sole airport on the remote Atlantic island of St Helena reopened on Tuesday after it was forced to close earlier in the month following a failed safety audit.
The remote British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic had its air link severed when faults were found with the airport’s firefighting vehicles on 10 February.
St Helena Airport reopens to Airlink flights
Updating the island’s residents on Monday, Governor Nigel Phillips said the airport’s mechanics and two specialist engineers from fire appliance manufacturer Marcé had completed repairs to the fire appliance ‘R1’, enabling the airport to regain Category 6 status.
He said repairs were being carried out to improve two additional appliances at the airport, which only opened in 2016.
“The airport team, with support from the Governor’s Office and the FCDO, have been investigating options to provide a long-term replacement for the existing airport fire tenders R1 and R2,” Phillips said.
“The team have been working at pace to source replacements that will meet the stringent requirements for airport firefighting and be suitable for long term use in the challenging environmental conditions experienced here on St Helena.
“They have been engaging with other airports to ensure what we buy will not only be compliant but will work well in our remote context.”
He also pledged to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the airport closure.
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A major incident had been declared by the local government last week after checks found that two of the airport’s fire appliances failed to meet international safety standards.
Local media reported that one of the fire vehicles had a fault which meant that it could not deliver the amount of fire retardant required in the event of an aircraft fire. In addition, another of the three vehicles was out of service due to a lack of spare parts on the island.
The island receives one commercial flight per week, an Embraer ERJ-190, operated by South African carrier Airlink from Johannesburg, with an additional fuel stop at Walvis Bay in Namibia. On Tuesday, 17 February, Airlink’s resumed flight to Johannesburg departed on time.
During the closure, small aircraft, such as those used for medical evacuations, were still permitted to operate, though the weekly scheduled passenger flights was cancelled.
St Helena Airport celebrates its 10th birthday next year
St Helena Airport was certified for operations in May 2016, and commercial air services commenced in October 2017 with a weekly flight connecting St Helena to South Africa, and a monthly flight connecting St Helena with Ascension Island.
The airport also hosts private and charter flights, as well as technical stops by aircraft using St Helena as a stopover between South America and Africa.
Featured image: St Helena Airport
