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First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 5:26 pm
by Capetonian
[bbvideo=560,315]https://youtu.be/r45J5JbzfxY[/bbvideo]
A flypast, then a missed approach at 0'55", touchdown at 1'30". Fantastic. Must have been really an emotional time for the Saints
[bbvideo=560,315]https://youtu.be/MQiQtdq1C3g[/bbvideo]
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 8:38 am
by unifoxos
And according to Auntie, the first scheduled flight is today. At the moment (0835Z) it's on its way to Windhoek before continuing to St Helena to arrive at 1315Z.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-41620003
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 10:26 am
by Woody
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Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:44 pm
by Mrs Ex-Ascot
Just read on News24 that Airlink is scrapping the Pretoria to Cape Town route along with the St Helena route as well. Due to both routes being unprofitable; they say that these routes will be reviewed in the future and reinstated if the situation changes.
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:22 pm
by Cacophonix
So no flights from SA to St Helena then?
Answering my own question.
No, one can still fly from Johannesburg.
Cape Town - Airlink announced, with immediate effect, that it "will no longer offer services between Cape Town and St Helena".
A disappointment for those travellers who were eagerly awaiting flights from Cape Town to the island, travellers can now only visit St Helena via the Johannesburg route.
"Customers holding confirmed tickets travelling between Cape Town and St Helena will re-route via Johannesburg at no additional cost to the customer," says Airlink, adding it will advise affected travellers of arrangements before their departure travel dates.
"Airlink hopes that this service discontinuation is temporary," says the airline and apologised for any inconvenience caused to travellers.
Airlink says it will continue working with the South African Aeronautical Authority "to resolve the aeropolitical constraints that have unexpectedly brought about the discontinuation".
The announcement comes soon after the airline notified the public that it is not possible for customers flying on the Cape Town - St Helena route to transit transfer at Windhoek
Caco
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:25 pm
by Cacophonix
Cacophonix wrote:So no flights from SA to St Helena then?
Answering my own question.
No, one can still fly from Johannesburg.
Cape Town - Airlink announced, with immediate effect, that it "will no longer offer services between Cape Town and St Helena".
A disappointment for those travellers who were eagerly awaiting flights from Cape Town to the island, travellers can now only visit St Helena via the Johannesburg route.
"Customers holding confirmed tickets travelling between Cape Town and St Helena will re-route via Johannesburg at no additional cost to the customer," says Airlink, adding it will advise affected travellers of arrangements before their departure travel dates.
"Airlink hopes that this service discontinuation is temporary," says the airline and apologised for any inconvenience caused to travellers.
Airlink says it will continue working with the South African Aeronautical Authority "to resolve the aeropolitical constraints that have unexpectedly brought about the discontinuation".
The announcement comes soon after the airline notified the public that it is not possible for customers flying on the Cape Town - St Helena route to transit transfer at Windhoek
Smacks of ANC politics and the ongoing efforts to isolate DA controlled Cape Town!
Caco
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:15 pm
by ian16th
South African Aeronautial Authority?????
Is this what the rest of us call the South African Civil Aviation Authority?
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:27 am
by Woody
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:57 am
by Cacophonix
Runways 02/20 and in such a mountainous region. I see trouble ahead.
- Pakyong.JPG (44.61 KiB) Viewed 1079 times
https://aim-india.aai.aero/sites/defaul ... 018_93.pdf
Also remember to put the parking brake on and chock the aircraft!
Caco
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:06 am
by Woody
First scheduled flight 4th October, will try and find out more details!
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 9:09 am
by Capetonian
More flights for St Helena
A second weekly flight between Cape Town and the south Atlantic island of St Helena is being launched by SA Airlink for the regions summer season, with a technical stop in Walvis Bay.
An Airlink Embraer arrives at St Helena.
The service will operate every Tuesday from 3 December this year to 11 February 2020, a total of up to 10 flights, running in parallel with the year-round weekly Saturday flight between Johannesburg and St Helena, which has a tech stop in Windhoek.
Walvis Bay is close to sea level and does not have the same height/heat conditions as Windhoek. There is no bilateral arrangements between the UK and Namibia precluding passenger access at either airport.
Officials said last week this gives flights via Walvis Bay the advantage of being able to carry a greater payload – either more passengers or cargo or a combination of the two.
A joint statement from St Helena and Airlink said the extra flights provided additional options for people wishing to travel to St Helena during a busy holiday period, particularly options for twin-destination holidays.
It was also a further opportunity to grow the air service as Airlink developed its operations from Cape Town. However, the new service was possible only for a limited time due to aircraft availability, with no decision yet on a 2020-2021 schedule.
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 4:31 pm
by 1DC
Can you still get to St. Helena by sea?
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 4:35 pm
by Capetonian
I believe the RMS St Helena service between Curnow in Cornwall and CPT via St. Helena was terminated last year, when the airport became operational.
Rather sad for a number of reasons.
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 7:22 pm
by ian16th
1DC wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 4:31 pm
Can you still get to St. Helena by sea?
Yes, but you need to supply your own ship!
As Cape said, the commercial service has stopped.
St. Helena Airport
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:16 am
by Rwy in Sight
A rather interesting
documentary .
Are there any flights operated before corona virus?
Re: St. Helena Airport
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 3:45 pm
by TheGreenGoblin
Rwy in Sight wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 7:16 am
A rather interesting
documentary .
Are there any flights operated before corona virus?
South African airline Airlink operated scheduled (seasonal) flights from both Cape Town and Johannesburg to St Helena before the Covid kak... Flights were started in 2017, suspended due to commercial issues in 2018 and then restarted in 2019 for a short period before the world was plunged into isolation and misery...
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/af ... 30011.html
That article almost outdoes The Wail for hyperbole...
Your video link is extremely interesting. Thank you for posting.
Good to hear the South African accents (Gwyneth Howell CEO of the Airport for example). Perhaps I will migrate there.
The mix of Island, English and South African makes for an interesting indigenous accent.
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 4:52 pm
by TheGreenGoblin
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:30 pm
by CharlieOneSix
From TGG's wikipedia article:
In 1815, the British government selected Saint Helena as the place of detention for Napoleon Bonaparte. He was taken to the island in October 1815. Britain also took the precaution of sending a garrison of soldiers, with an experienced officer (Edward Nicolls), to uninhabited Ascension Island, which lay between St. Helena and Europe.
My great, great, great grandfather was one of those soldiers!
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:34 pm
by G-CPTN
With great respect for your g-g-g grandfather and his mates, what were they expected to do?
Re: First commercial aircraft landing on St. Helena
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:57 pm
by CharlieOneSix
G-CPTN wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:34 pm
With great respect for your g-g-g grandfather and his mates, what were they expected to do?
I have no idea! Until reading that article my research had indicated that the garrison was on St Helena. That seems more likely than putting them on an unihabited island days away. I'll have to dig out his service records which are in my pussers tin trunk in the roof.
EDIT: - found this online, my highlighting....
NAPOLEON'S ST HELENA by Gilbert Martineau
The following has been transcribed from the above book published in 1968 which had been translated from the French by Frances Partridge.
Napoleon was detained on St Helena from October 1815 until his death in May 1821 at the age of 51.
During this time the British maintained a large garrison
on the island and a fleet of warships constantly on patrol. By day and night the guns were kept manned, the coast patrolled, and pickets and sentinels posted. These were provided by the 53rd regiment (600 men), the St Helena regiment (600 men), the 66th regiment (700 men), The St Helena artillery (300 men) a detachment of the Royal Artillery (60 men) and a troop of mounted dragoons (20 men). There were nearly 500 guns ready for
action. The Naval Force under a Rear Admiral consisted of the flagship HMS Newcastle (60 guns) to guard the port, a frigate kept watch on the other approach to the island and two brigs cruised one to leeward and one to windward of the island for weeks on end without dropping anchor.
