Name and Location
St Helena Airport development, St Helena Island.

Client
The project is being undertaken on behalf of the St Helena government and funded by the British government’s Department for International Development (DFID).

Project Description
St Helena Island is located about 1 900 km from Africa, measuring 16 km by 8 km, and is one of the world’s most remote locations, with Ascension Island more than 1 000 km away.

The project involves the construction of an airport on the island. It will feature a 1 950 m high-quality concrete runway, with taxiways and an apron to cater for aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 737-800; a rockfill embankment of about eight-million cubic metres, through which a 750-m-long reinforced-concrete culvert will run; a 3 500 m2 airport terminal building and support infrastructure; air-traffic control systems; a bulk fuel installation for six-million litres of diesel and aviation fuel; a 14 km airport access road; and all related logistics.

The island’s only lifeline to the outside world has been the Royal Mail Ship, the RMS St Helena, which calls regularly at the island. As a community that has no internal resources or an industry to support its economy, the British government has been providing extensive financial support for the island.

The bulk of the capital is spent on maintaining and operating the RMS St Helena. It is hoped that the new airport will address some of the socioeconomic difficulties on the island, boost the prosperity of islanders through tourism and help curb the exodus of inhabitants who are seeking work in Britain.

To assist in completing the St Helena International Airport, Basil Read chartered a massive Thai cargo vessel, the NP Glory 4 from NP Marine for 36 months to transport fuel, materials and plant to and from the island.

Value
The project, funded by the DFID, was valued at £250-million, but the total value of the project for phases 1 and 2 has increased to about £265-million.

Duration
The construction of the first phase of the airport was completed in February 2016. With construction completed, the operations phase of the contract will continue in partnership with South Africa’s Lanseria Airport, in Johannesburg, Gauteng, for a further ten years.

Latest Developments
The St Helena Airport has been given approval to start commercial flight operations.

South African construction firm Basil Read was, in November 2011, awarded the contract to design, build and operate the airport.

Construction started in 2012 and work is expected to continue into late 2017 when additional works at the island’s bulk fuel installation in Rupert’s Bay will be completed.

Basil Read, which is responsible for airport operations until 2026, has noted that some windshear problems are being encountered from the northerly approach and that the St Helena government is reviewing various options.

The date for the official inauguration flight is still to be decided.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Basil Read (designer, builder and operator); Worley Parsons (lead design and landside designs); Virtual Consulting (airside designs); KMH Architects and LYT Architects (architects); Atkins and WSP (independent certifiers); PRDW (marine designs); Lanseria Airport International (operations); Thales (AGL, Navaids – DVOR); Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment, or SAIEA (environmental); Trotech (bulk fuel installation); BME (explosives); Ohorongo Cement (cement) and Babcock (supply and maintenance of Volvo construction equipment).

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
Basil Read project director Jimmy Johnston, tel +27 11 418 6325 or communications manager Jenny Smith, tel +27 11 418 6466.
Halcrow project management unit, tel +290 24258 or email Andreas.Huber@ch2m.com.
Babcock, tel +27 11 230 7300.
St Helena government air access office, tel +290 22494 or email tessa.roberts@sainthelena.gov.sh.
DFID, tel +44 1355 84 3132, fax +44 1355 84 4099 or email enquiry@dfid.gov.uk.
Worley Parsons, tel +27 12 745 2000 or fax +27 12 745 2001.
Virtual Consulting, tel +27 12 452 0444 or fax +27 12 452 0583.
KMH Architects, tel +27 11 447 4190, fax +27 11 447 2712 or email arch@kmh.co.za.
LYT Architects, email info@lyt.co.za.
WSP, tel +27 11 361 1300.
PRDW, tel +27 21 418 3830, fax +27 21 418 3834 or email info@prdw.co.za.
Lanseria Airport International, tel +27 11 367 0300.
SAIEA, tel +27 21 789 0251 or fax +27 21 789 0257.
Trotech, tel +27 31 764 1573 or fax +27 31 764 3353.