Governor addresses rumours around St Helena Airport

Governor, Lisa Phillips, has spoken out to address the delayed public opening of St Helena Airport.
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The airport was due to open in a ceremony last month, and since being delayed there has been rumours that the plans for the airport are no longer in motion.
 
“Press reports in the UK and elsewhere that describe St Helena Airport as being ‘scrapped’, ‘mothballed’ or ‘postponed indefinitely’ are incorrect. There are wind shear challenges on one runway, which means larger planes cannot currently land safely. We are collecting wind data, which will allow larger planes to land on this runway, but this will take some time.
  
“Wind shear is a factor at several airports around the world, including London City Airport, where safe landings happen every day. We are working hard to identify an interim flight solution that can land on our second. There is no wind shear on this second runway, but there is a tailwind. We have identified aircraft types that can land in these conditions, and airlines that have such planes - and we are now exploring the specific availability of aircraft with these airlines.
 
“The Airport is certified and open, as demonstrated by the emergency medevac flight last Saturday when we were able to fly a sick baby to Cape Town,” said Phillips.