Comair (South Africa) (CAW, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has been appointed the preferred bidder for the provision of air services to the island of St Helena located roughly 2,000km off the coast of Angola, in the Atlantic Ocean.
The government of St Helena and the British Department for International Development (DFID) will, over the next few weeks, begin detailed negotiations with the South African operator with a definitive announcement to be made thereafter.
"This marks a very positive step for St Helena in working with an airline that has such a long track record of successful operations and which provides an excellent gateway to the rest of the world, including the UK," the island's government said in a statement.
The operator of a British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) franchise, Comair is proposing a weekly flight between Johannesburg O.R. Tambo and St Helena using a B737-800.
In a bid to improve its international connectivity, the island is in the process of constructing an international airport with its completion and opening expected early next year.
Start-up Atlantic Star Airlines (London Luton) has also expressed an interest in connecting the remote island with London using a B757-200 leased from Icelandair (FI, Reykjavik Keflavik). The carrier is also planning to offer flights to Ascension Island, Ascension Island and Mount Pleasant International in the Falkland Islands, as well as flights to West and South Africa.
