St Helena Airport Closure: Here's what you need to know

St Helena Island has faced a week-long disruption after the airport was closed on 6 February, due to concerns about the readiness of its firefighting equipment.

Following urgent work by the airport, St Helena Airport has been cleared to operate at Category 4, enabling medical evacuation flights and small charter jets to bring in spare parts and technical support. While this restores a critical lifeline, commercial passenger flights remain suspended.  

Airlink, the operator of the primary air connection to the island from Johannesburg, with seasonal flights from Cape Town, has suspended its operations and future flight bookings to St Helena.  

According to a statement shared by the St Helena Government, the suspension is not an "indication of how long the disruption will last", with flights "cancelled on a flight-by-flight basis, as necessary" - with commercial flights canceled up until 15 February.  

Airlink has advised affected passengers to contact its reservations office on +27 (0)11 451-7300 between 05h00 and 21h00, or to speak directly with their travel agents, adding that further updates will be shared as the situation at St Helena Airport evolves. 

What's required to restore Category 6 status?  

To get the airport back to full operating status, authorities are working on both immediate fixes and longer-term solutions. In the short term, specialised spare parts are being flown in from Germany and are expected to arrive on the island later this week. Once on site, the parts will need to be fitted, reassembled and thoroughly tested - a process expected to take several days - before the airport can be safely cleared for normal operations.

Looking further ahead, the St Helena Government is also exploring the replacement of critical firefighting vehicles, with potential support from the UK Government. These fire appliances are highly specialised and usually built to order, meaning a permanent solution will take time.  

Officials say they are actively considering all possible temporary and long-term alternatives to ensure the airport can meet international safety standards going forward.

"We are working with the regulator across all solutions to understand how we can safely achieve a return to Category 6 status for normal operations to resume as soon as possible."  

The island further acknowledged the frustration surrounding the disruption, saying a full and transparent review will follow once the immediate operational response is complete.