Flights from SA to St Helena resume, but you must quarantine beforehand.

Flights between South Africa and the isolated island of St Helena will resume on Saturday after being grounded for more than two years because of the Covid-19 epidemic.

St Helena is one of the world’s most isolated islands, with a population of just a few hundred people. The only means to get to St Helena before the island’s airport was via ship, which took five days to get from Cape Town to the island. That changed in 2016.

Shortly after the airport’s construction, irlink began transporting passengers straight from Johannesburg to Jamestown in St Helena.

When the Covid-19 epidemic began in March 2020, routine services were halted, and one of the world’s most remote islands, around 2,000 kilometers west of south-western Africa, was forced to become even more isolated.

Because of St Helena’s geographic seclusion and limited access to the outside world – with just a few charter flights accessible via Titan Airways — the epidemic never completely reached the island, despite its best efforts. A single instance of community transmission has never been documented on the island, and 97 percent of the eligible population has been immunized against the disease.

Airlink will restart flights from South Africa to St Helena on Saturday, after a two-year hiatus. Ascension Island will be served on a monthly basis by the airline’s weekly flights between Johannesburg and St Helena, as well as its inter-island service.

Tourists who board one of these inaugural flights, whether they are fully vaccinated or not, must report to quarantine for a period of 10 days upon arrival in St Helena. Accommodations licensed by municipal authorities, as well as government-run facilities, may be used for quarantine purposes.

According to the administration of St Helena, these stringent limitations will be in effect until at least the end of March. No further measures have been planned as of yet that will take effect after March 31.

Starting at R11,296.75, the first Airlink trip from Johannesburg to Jamestown, which includes a technical stop at Walvis Bay, is the most affordable option. The second trip, which will take place on April 9, is more inexpensive, with fares beginning at R8,644.40. The Embraer 190, which will operate on the six-hour flight, will be used to serve the route.