St Helena to take off as new holiday destination for South Africans!

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St Helena is likely to become a new holiday destination for South Africans when Comair commences flights to and from the British-owned Atlantic Ocean island in February.

Comair has been granted a three-year contract, and flights will depart from Johannesburg once a week. A brand new B737-800 British Airways with 120 passengers will operate the service. Tough for Capetonians will be the departure time of 8h20 from Johannesburg on Saturday mornings. There will be a one-hour turnaround time back to Johannesburg. The timing of the flights has been planned to allow connections for flights from London. The flying time is around five hours. Once a month the flight will extend to Ascension Island from St Helena, a two-hour flight.

The R5 billion airport, funded by the British government, has been constructed by one of our local construction companies, and will be officially inaugurated in May next year. Lanseria International Airport will operate the airport for the first ten years.

Construction of a new Mantis Collection hotel is planned. Only 150 tourist rooms are currently available. The Island’s tourism authority Enterprise St Helena is working with accommodation establishments, restaurants, and taxis to enhance quality standards.

Currently St Helena can only be reached by mailship from Cape Town, a 5-day sail. The RMS St Helena will cease its operation to St Helena in April next year.

Source: Travel News Weekly