St. Helena: The Tiny, Remote Island With the Expensive Airport
Two years ago, a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean got its first airport — perhaps the world’s most obscure airport. It was expensive, but can St. Helena thrive?
Your average flight from Washington, D.C. to St. Helena Island, located in one of the most remote parts of the world, would be a very arduous affair, a flight that would take nearly two full days, and at least three distinct layovers along the way — first in Ghana, then in Johannesburg, then a refueling stop in Namibia — before you got to your destination.
If there’s a delay at any of the three stops, it might compromise the entire trip, because if you don’t make your connecting flight, you’re screwed. And once you’re there, you’re not leaving for a while. I’m endlessly fascinated by these far-off connections, these obscure airports that few people would ever think to travel to — and St. Helena is somehow more hopelessly obscure than the rest.
But you’re going to know a lot about it by the time you finish reading this piece—about an island that you’ll likely never visit unless you have a whole lot of extra time, disposable income, or a sense of adventure.
