St Helena’s air service, operated by Airlink, runs a scheduled weekly service between Johannesburg and St Helena, along with a monthly inter-island service with Ascension Island. In November 2023, the St Helena Government (SHG) announced mid-week flights for the 2024-25 peak season on Tuesdays from Johannesburg and reintroduced Saturday flights from Cape Town.
Following an assessment of current and forecast demand for these flights and discussions with Airlink and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), it was decided to remove the March 2025 Tuesday Johannesburg flights to maximize value from the air service.
Flights are available in global reservation systems 360 days prior to departure. Historical data indicates that peak demand is typically from December to March; however, since the COVID pandemic, tourism patterns have shifted. Notably, 2023 marked just the third full year of air access-based tourism for St Helena. The disruptions of recent years have impacted accurate forecasting of future demand. Although St Helena is recovering well, it remains in a tourism recovery phase.
The SHG is actively working through its Tourism Recovery Strategy (2022-2024) to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on tourism. As of April 2024, arrivals were at 88% compared to 2019/20 levels—the island’s best year for tourism—and visitor spending is estimated to be up to £7 million, comparable with pre-pandemic figures.
Efforts are ongoing to further develop St Helena as a tourist destination by improving infrastructure, increasing marketing efforts, and addressing capacity constraints through training programs. This work is supported by additional funding allocated for the second year of the Tourism Development Programme (2024-25).
Tickets for travel between South Africa and St Helena can be purchased online via Airlink's website at www.flyairlink.com or through all International Air Transport Association (IATA) travel agents. Residents of St Helena can book tickets through Solomon & Company (St Helena) Plc’s Shipping & Travel Agency at Malabar in Jamestown. Bookings can be made in person or via email at travelagent@solomons.co.sh or by telephone at 22523.
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