Cape Town Air Access, together with the St Helena Government (SHG) and Airlink, welcomes a new connection between Cape Town and St Helena. The seasonal flight is scheduled weekly on a Tuesday and will operate from 3 December 2019 to February 2020. Bookings are open until late February 2020.
Helena Bennett, Director of Tourism for St Helena, said: “St Helena has for many years held a special connection with Cape Town which was once the port of call for the island’s Royal Mail Ship before it was decommissioned in February 2018. For the island to be once again connected with Cape Town provides our tourism industry with this much desired link. Being able to provide our visitors with the option of a two stop holiday where they can explore the magnificent Cape Town and then hop on a flight and spend a few days discovering the many treasures and beauty St Helena has to offer, will be a huge benefit to the island and our stakeholders.”
The midweek Cape Town service supplements Airlink’s Saturday service to OR Tambo International Airport and will connect the Western Cape to the South Atlantic island during the peak season. With the opening of the award-winning St Helena airport in 2017, access to island has been made quicker and easier.
Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Beverley Schafer, welcomed the new route: "The Western Cape Government is focused on driving the further development of the tourism sector to stimulate growth and create new jobs. In order to do this, we need to be offering a range of experiences and opportunities that appeal to a wide variety of tourists. This new route is very exciting, providing fresh opportunities to market tourism to both the Western Cape and St Helena, capitalizing on the historic link between the two."
Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management in the City of Cape Town concurred: “The City of Cape Town welcomes the announcement of a new flight between Cape Town and St Helena. We are a proud partner of Cape Town Air Access, which has been highly successful in connecting our beautiful city to opportunities all over the world. This makes it easier for tourists to visit, boosting numbers, growing tourism revenue and creating jobs.”
St Helena, one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world, has been called ‘the secret of the South Atlantic’. Visitors to the island can expect a destination rich in history, with attractions such as Napoleon’s residence, and encounter an Instagrammer’s paradise with volcanic coastlines, and view the highest number of whale sharks during its annual migration.
Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, said that this was the fifteenth non-stop route added by the Cape Town Air Access since its inception in 2015: "Following the game-changing news that Cape Town will now be connected to North America through a non-stop flight, we are delighted to welcome yet another route to Cape Town International Airport. By connecting Cape Town to other tourist attractions around the world, we are able to help visitors put together itineraries with Cape Town at the centre. This strengthens our tourism offer considerably."
Cape Town Air Access is a partnership between the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town, Wesgro, Airports Company South Africa, Cape Town Tourism, South African Tourism and private sector partners.
"We thank all our partners, the government of St Helena and Airlink for the confidence you have shown in a route into Cape Town, and we look forward to this being another successful route in our growing air network" concluded Harris.
Tickets are available online via the Airlink website and through all IATA travel agents. For more info on the flight, as well the flight schedule, view the flight schedule and FAQs here.