History buffs are currently witnessing a situation in which some travelers are stranded on the island of Napoleon Bonaparte’s exile.
Sitting approximately 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena is an extremely remote island, which even more than 200 years later, is still known above all as the spot to which Bonaparte was forcefully exiled after his defeat in Waterloo in 1815.
While uninhabited at that time, Saint Helena (also spelled as St Helena) in 2026 is home to a tight-knit community of approximately 5,000 residents and is sustained by the British government, primarily as a location driven by historical tourism for those who want to put in the effort to reach it.
St Helena Airport shuts down after failed fire safety audit, only flight canceled
Since the airport opened in 2017, South African regional carrier Airlink has been the only commercial airline flying into Saint Helena International Airport (HLE) from Johannesburg with a refueling stopover in Namibia’s Walvis Bay.
Airlink had also been running a monthly flight to nearby Ascension Island and preparing to launch an additional flight from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in 2027.
But this week, all scheduled flights to Saint Helena were abruptly suspended, Aerospace Global News reported, after the airport failed a fire safety audit and lost the Category 6 classification allowing it to receive aircraft sized like the Embraer E190 regional jet used by Airlink.
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Local officials currently state that all flights will be suspended “until at least 20 February,” while a specialist team from the United Kingdom has also been sent to begin the work necessary for the airport to be allowed to reopen.
While some medical evacuations and other general aviation flights on smaller aircraft will still be permitted to operate, the closure of the airport cuts off Saint Helena from commercial air service and leaves those with scheduled flights off the island essentially stranded.
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“We are deeply aware of the disruption this situation creates”: St Helena government
“We recognise [British spelling] that this will affect many people, including those with upcoming travel plans, those expecting visitors and individuals with urgent medical needs that require travel off-Island,” the St Helena government said in a statement.
“We know this will cause concern and we are deeply aware of the disruption this situation creates for families, businesses and the wider community.”
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One British traveler who flew to the island to visit family in January told the BBC that he and his wife were supposed to fly to Johannesburg on Jan. 15 and are now just sitting and waiting to hear how and when they will get off the island (the only other option is a very limited ferry service that shuttles visitors to yachts and cruise ships).
People writing in local community groups on Facebook wrote that some stranded tourists have been receiving a £20 food voucher although, without secured accommodation, expenses will run much higher.
As visitors to Saint Helena would have needed to plan their trip around a flight that was supposed to depart on Feb. 15, they are currently waiting for information from the local government on what to do if they do not have a place to stay beyond that date.
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