Biggest plane landed: Boeing 757 raises hopes for St. Helena

The largest aircraft to date has landed on the Atlantic island of St. Helena with a Boeing 757. This raises old hopes of a direct connection to Great Britain.

The remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic is normally served by Embraer E190. The Boeing 737 and Airbus A318 have also already landed here. But on Thursday afternoon (July 30th) the largest aircraft ever arrived at St. Helena Airport: a Boeing 757-200 from the British charter company Titan Airways.

The plane brought passengers from Great Britain and from Ascension, where he made a stopover, back to St. Helena. This did not go without delays: First the flight was supposed to take place at the beginning of the week, but was postponed due to a bird strike on the Boeing 757. Then he had to return to Jet on Thursday due to a technical problem after the launch. Finally it succeeded.

Hope for a direct connection to Europe

The Boeing 757 is set to return to the UK on Friday with a stopover in Accra, Ghana. Before that, if the weather permits, the pilots will make a series of take-offs and landings on St. Helena to practice the difficult approaches there from both directions. The St. Helena government said this could be useful for additional flights “that could be scheduled with the 757.”

In fact, the Boeing landing is fueling old hopes of a direct connection from the UK to St. Helena. The island belongs to the British overseas territory. According to the St. Helena Independent newspaper, Britain and Europe are seen as the main market for tourist flights to St. Helena after Corona on the island.

Atlantic Star Airlines still interested

The British company Atlantic Star Airlines had previously attempted a subsidized connection to St. Helena. She wanted to fly from London to St. Helena and Cape Town – with a Boeing 757. The South African Airlink was recently awarded the contract, with a connection to Johannesburg. One of the founders of Atlantic Star Airlines, Richard Brown, now told the newspaper that interest was unchecked. His company plans to apply again next year.

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