Saint Helena Airport temporarily suspends commercial operations
Saint Helena's Government confirmed (10-Feb-2026) the temporary suspension of commercial services at Saint Helena Airport since 06-Feb-2026. Airlink (South Africa) has suspended bookings to St Helena. The government does not expect any scheduled commercial services to operate before 21-Feb-2026, "at the earliest". The suspension occurred after the airport was unable to maintain compliance with Category 6 requirements for commercial services, due to unserviceable water pumps on the airport's firefighting vehicles. The airport was approved to continue at Category 4 for medevac and executive jet operations. The government stated that restoring Category 6 status "remains our highest priority". [more - original PR]
Background ✨
Airlink had previously operated scheduled services between Johannesburg and Saint Helena, increasing frequency during peak seasons, and supplementing with Cape Town-St Helena flights during high demand periods1 2. The airport has experienced past disruptions, including a temporary closure in 2018 following operational changes, and has periodically relied on medevac and executive jet operations during such interruptions3.