St Helena Airport set to open next month
Organised by SHG, ESH, New Horizons and Basil Read - and subject to prior certification of the Airport - the official opening ceremony will see:
Event taking place in the morning in front of the Airport Terminal main entrance
A Blessing, attendance by the Governor, St Helenians and HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Shuttle Buses to and from the Airport provided from designated pick-up and drop-off points
Private vehicles allowed limited access to certain parking areas to meet shuttle buses
HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, will embark on a Royal programme of visits as soon as he arrives at St Helena on Friday 20 May 2016.
In November 2011, St Helena Government signed a Design, Build and Operate (DBO) contract with Basil Read (Pty) Ltd. The contract included £201.5 million for the design and construction of the airport, an additional amount - of up to - £10 million on shared risk contingency and £35.1 million for 10 years of operation.
The project aims to provide air services to St Helena, fulfilling the UK Government’s commitment to maintaining access to the island, and provide it with a real opportunity for economic growth through tourism. Both the St Helena Government and the UK Government hope that this will lead to eventual financial self-sustainability for St Helena.
All members of the public are invited to attend the Airport's opening event and special transport arrangements will be in place.
The Bank Holiday in Lieu of St Helena’s Day will now fall on Friday 20 May 2016, to enable the St Helena Day celebrations to take place on that Friday and for the Airport opening ceremony to take place on the Saturday 21 May 2016.