Isolated island opened up to the wider world

ONE of the world’s most remote places became a little less isolated Sunday when the first commercial flight arrived in St. Helena, a South Atlantic island that until recently was only accessible by boat and where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his last years in exile

A man climbs the 699 steps of Jacob's ladder in Jamestown, St Helena’s capital. Pictures: AFP PHOTOS

ONE of the world’s most remote places became a little less isolated Sunday when the first commercial flight arrived in St. Helena, a South Atlantic island that until recently was only accessible by boat and where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his last years in exile.

The SA Airlink plane left Johannesburg on a six-hour journey to the British- ruled territory, which hopes to draw more tourists to the deposed French emperor’s final abode, Longwood House, as well as rugged landscapes, marine life and the novelty of visiting a spot far off the beaten track.

“’Thank you for being part of this historical event,” the pilot said before takeoff.

Celebratory champagne and chocolates were handed out en route. On arrival, the island’s governor shook passengers’ hands.

The new weekly air service brings an end to what had been the only regular way to reach the island. The royal mail ship St. Helena, which takes nearly a week to arrive from Cape Town, will stop its voyages in February.

“St Helena, where you are a long way from a long way,” tweeted Lisa Phillips, the first female governor of St. Helena and two other Atlantic islands, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

Phillips’ social media posts have highlighted some of the island’s quirkier fixtures, including a giant tortoise named Jonathan that is said to be 185 years old and Jacob’s Ladder, a 699-step outdoor staircase leading from a valley to a hilltop in Jamestown, the capital.

Tourism would bring a much-needed boost to St. Helena, which lies about 1930km west of the border between Angola and Namibia, the nearest mainland. The island’s population of more than 4000 people is now dependent on British government support.