The isolated South Atlantic island of St Helena has long wanted to share its whale sharks and other attractions with visiting divers, but the impossibility of getting there by air has made it a destination too far.
Now it’s been confirmed that scheduled South Africa Airlink flights to and from Johannesburg and Cape Town will start later this year.
Initially Airlink will offer a weekly Saturday service via Windhoek in Namibia, the whole journey taking around six hours. The service will replace five-day sea-crossings on the last working Royal Mail ship.
“Not everyone has two weeks to travel to and from the island by ship,” acknowledged the island’s Director of Tourism Christopher Pickard.
Once a month the flight will continue from St Helena to Ascension – another potentially rewarding but difficult-to-access South Atlantic diving location.
01-Sep-17
