Wind pounds plan to open isolated island’s airport

Plans to open one of the world’s most isolated islands to regular air travel have been buffeted by safety fears over high winds.

The British overseas territory of St. Helena, famous as Napoleon Bonaparte’s place of exile, was to have a new $520-million airport operational last month.

But wind conditions detected during a series of test flights have made it impossible for commercial aircraft to land on the island in the South Atlantic, which is about 1,850 kilometres off the west coast of Africa.

Britain’s Department for International Development said it was committed to helping St. Helena become self-sufficient, but there is no timetable for when the airport may open or how big the cost overruns will be.

St. Helena governor Lisa Phillips said in a statement: “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.”

The island is currently served by a weekly Royal Mail Ship service, which was due to be decommissioned.