St Helena to become new tourist destination with air services and hotel

SHG and DFID today formally announced the appointment of Comair Limited as the provider of air services to St Helena – and today also saw the selection of Mantis as the preferred operator of the 123 Main Street Hotel.

This marks another important step in the evolution of St Helena Island as a new tourism destination. With the Island’s first ever airport opening in 2016, the involvement of companies with the credentials of Comair and Mantis demonstrates that St Helena can attract the best international partners.

AIR SERVICES
Comair, operating as British Airways under its licence agreement with British Airways plc, will operate a scheduled service between Johannesburg (OR Tambo International Airport) and St Helena Airport.

The weekly Saturday service will be operated using a brand new, state of the art Boeing 737-800 type aircraft (pictured) in a two class configuration (Business Class and Economy Class) with the flight time from Johannesburg to St Helena being approximately five hours.

Comair, through its extensive partnerships with international network carriers operating direct services to Johannesburg, will provide onward connections via Johannesburg to and from St Helena and, in addition, Comair’s extensive domestic and southern African network will be available to passengers. Customers will further enjoy the benefits of purchasing a single ticket with the convenience of one stop check-in and baggage transfer.

The agreement with Comair is for an initial term of three years from the date of the first flight, with the potential for up to two extensions of two years each – a maximum term of seven years.

Marking this momentous step for St Helena, HE Governor Mark Capes said:
“As St Helena approaches an exciting new chapter in her history, to have such a well-established and highly regarded operator as Comair providing our air service represents a real vote of confidence in the Island and our new Airport. It is a huge bonus for St Helena, and a welcome boost for our tourism effort, that Comair has a close association with British Airways – which opens the door to the global network of one of the most recognised and trusted brands in the aviation business.

“On the hotel front, I was delighted to learn that the Mantis Collection hotel company is the preferred bidder to manage the new hotel to be developed in Lower Jamestown. I congratulate Mantis Chairman Adrian Gardiner and his enthusiastic team on their success. For St Helena this is another strong vote of confidence in our future from one of the leading international luxury hotel groups. Mantis has an outstanding reputation and brings a widely respected global brand to St Helena.

“As we continue to steer St Helena towards new opportunities, to shape a prosperous future for the benefit of all who live and work on the Island, we are indeed fortunate to have onboard such strong partners as Mantis and Comair.”

CEO of Comair, Erik Venter, added:
“We are delighted that Comair has been selected as St Helena’s airline of choice and look forward to providing customers with a quality service to and from the Island.

“We are also excited about the opportunity to work in partnership with the St Helena Government and Enterprise St Helena to promote the Island as a chosen destination, with the ultimate objective of boosting the local tourism industry and the overall economy of St Helena.”

Nigel Kirby, DFID St Helena Airport Project Manager, concluded:
“DFID welcomes the appointment of Comair to operate services between St Helena and Johannesburg. Comair’s appointment brings the reality of air access to St Helena much closer, and these flights will provide Saints with a gateway to the world, with onward connections to London, Paris, Frankfurt, New York, Sydney and many others destinations.

“The spirit of collaboration and cooperation that persisted throughout the negotiations bodes well for the future relationship between Comair and St Helena, working together to deliver a better future for the Island.

“On a personal note, after more than a decade working on this project, I look forward to flying into St Helena.”

Bookings will open for sale later this year subject to the conclusion of the required Government and regulatory approvals and obtaining the specific consents and licences associated with the terms of Air Service Agreement between St Helena Government and Comair.

DFID and SHG were advised on the tender process by Avia Solutions.