MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
South African group awarded contract to build St Helena international airport
The St Helena Government this week entered into a contract with South Africa’s Basil Read (Pty) Ltd in the amount of £201.5 million for the design and construction of the airport, an additional up to £10 million in shared risk contingency, and £35.1 million for ten years of operation. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesGood news for our St Helenian friends; and there's a few nails flying out of the coffin.
Nov 04th, 2011 - 10:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0Looking at the map, it is exactly halfway between England RAF and The Falkland Islands !
Nov 04th, 2011 - 01:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0A long runway to handle the biggest military air freighters/troop carriers. Perhaps anticipating a long-distance version of the Berlin Airlift.
A long way but VERY fast.
Good contingency, and only agreed at this time because of the Argentinian rhetoric. Talk up a problem and get a response - probably not the one that was anticipated in BA, however.
Bear in mind that St Helena is only 750 miles from Ascension Island. However, with the RAF's new Airbus Voyager MRTT aircraft, this could easily double what Britain could fly in to the Falklands at need. Particularly, using shuttles where Voyagers are used to transport troops and refuel Typhoons on their way to Ascension. Then a short hop in, say, C-17s or even Hercules from Ascension to St Helena, and then onward in more Voyagers as transports and tankers. Checking the Voyager's range, they probably wouldn't even have to land at Mount Pleasant if they were just tankers. Just refuel the Typhoons 1,000 miles out and turn back. The Typhoons would arrive with their tanks still half-full. A single Voyager could fully refuel around 15 Typhoons. Mind you, they'd probably prefer to arrive a squadron at a time.
Nov 04th, 2011 - 02:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0This is looking good. Fly in a couple of squadrons of Typhoons and then, with an effective CAP and air superiority in place, start ferrying in the troops, armour etc.
“British taxpayers are set to spend up to £300m on a new airport, to be sited amid one of the island's most sensitive ecological zones. The resort complex would straddle a large portion of a key environmental area”
Nov 04th, 2011 - 04:51 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jun/12/st-helena-fears-mass-tourism
Marcos seems to want to criticise, well tough shit, it belongs to the Saints, its what they want, and no-one there gives a toss what you RGs think about it.
Nov 04th, 2011 - 05:27 pm - Link - Report abuse 05 “its what they want' Really?
Nov 04th, 2011 - 05:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0BBC
”Islanders 'happy to stay cut off'
Dream on Marcos.
Nov 04th, 2011 - 06:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0BBC
Nov 04th, 2011 - 06:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0”Islanders 'happy to stay cut off'
and the rest you little Imp Marcos
There was some resistance to the plan, from those who thought an influx of people would risk the island's close-knit atmosphere.
But in December, the UK government announced it was to postpone a decision for the second time, a move that was greeted with some anger.
well we did warn you, that argentina would get it,,but not what it wanted,
Nov 04th, 2011 - 07:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0again the brits prove, you dont need south america to get to the falklands, [point proved]
BBC
Nov 04th, 2011 - 07:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7839438.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/514702.stm
Nov 04th, 2011 - 08:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Give us an airport, say islanders
People on the remote island of St Helena are pressing to be given an airport after their only supply ship broke down.
the world moves on,
Nov 04th, 2011 - 08:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0and argentina sits and cries like a spoilt child, boo hoo,
the british are right their, and you cant even see them through all that plastic ?
Marcos - you don't seam the type to read the Guardian (a middle aged and middle class hippie) so why do you always make it your first reference when trying (with futility) to win an argument?
Nov 05th, 2011 - 07:42 am - Link - Report abuse 0More craps a numpty and obviously forgot to read the comments from actual islanders at the bottom of the page, it was a particularly trashy piece by the Groniad, low on fact and high on opinion which didn't bother to ask what the islanders thought, just some hippy environmentalist's who are complaining that their view on their favourite holiday destination would be ruined......
Nov 05th, 2011 - 09:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0Obviously memories are short in the Groniad editorial/opinion dept - http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/dec/10/st-helena-airport-travel-tourism
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