MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands: revised FIGAS Winter Flying Program, May/September 2026

FIGAS will continue to operate flexibly throughout the winter period, emergency and essential flights will continue to be supported as required

The Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) will introduce a revised winter flying program from 11 May 2026 to 13 September 2026. This follows consideration of the proposal at the Transport Advisory Committee (TAC), and a briefing to Members of Legislative Assembly earlier this week. Under the revised program, scheduled FIGAS passenger flights will operate on: Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday This represents a temporary reduction from the usual winter flying pattern.

 Operational Flexibility

FIGAS will continue to operate flexibly throughout the winter period:
• Emergency and essential flights will continue to be supported as required
• When the Concordia Bay is away for its maintenance period the winter program will continue as 4 days per week, but FIGAS will remain flexible and adjust to any increase in demand as required.
• Weather disruption will be managed through rescheduling flights to the next available day where possible

Reason for the Change

The revised program has two primary objectives:
• To provide dedicated, uninterrupted time for engineering teams to complete essential 1,000 hour aircraft maintenance and corrosion rectification, ensuring aircraft availability for the 2026/27 peak season
• To reduce overall airframe hour usage by concentrating flying into fewer days, improving efficiency and helping preserve fleet availability
Multiple aircraft are approaching scheduled maintenance requirements, and undertaking this work during the winter period reduces the risk of disruption during periods of higher demand.

Reflecting TAC Feedback

Following feedback from the Transport Advisory Committee, the flying pattern has been structured to:
• Allow passengers to travel between Camp and Stanley and return the following day (Sunday–Tuesday window)
• Maintain alignment with Camp Doctor visits on Tuesdays, avoiding the need to adjust KEMH service delivery
• Provide two consecutive non flying weekdays (Wednesday and Thursday) to allow the full engineering team to focus on maintenance

Customer Support

FIGAS booking staff will continue to work with customers to manage travel arrangements throughout the winter period. Customers affected by the revised schedule will be supported in adjusting their bookings.
Further information is available via the FIGAS booking office and on the FIGAS website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why wasn’t the maintenance and corrosion issue known about and planned for sooner?
The corrosion only became apparent during a routine check at the end of the recent summer season. It does not present an immediate threat to the safety of the aircraft but needs fixing before intensive use over the next summer season.
What will happen if there is an emergency and a plane is needed, for example to help with medical evacuation?
FIGAS will always support emergency requests wherever possible, and will always have at least one aircraft available to fly.
What if I already have a booking on a day FIGAS is no longer flying?
Customers with existing bookings will be contacted to re-arrange flights if they are booked on a no-fly day.

Impact on Camp Community

Was the impact on the Camp community considered when making this decision?
Yes, the impact on Camp was central to this decision. Recent heavy patterns of summer usage mean that priority is being given to ensuring aircraft availability for the next season, whilst providing as much availability over the winter as possible.

The new aircraft

What happened to the new aircraft that was supposed to augment the existing fleet?
The new aircraft has been delayed by a combination of factors outside of FIG’s control. Although delivery is expected later this year, we don’t want to compromise maintenance of our existing fleet in the meantime.