The remote South Atlantic island, which sits 1,200 miles off the west coast of Africa, was previously only accessible by boat until the UK government built a £285 million airport. Problems with dangerous crosswinds and downdrafts – known as wind shear - led to the airport’s safety certification being delayed and it being dubbed ‘the world’s most useless airport’.
An inaugural Comair Boeing 737 flight encountered severe windshear caused by the cliffs that surround the runway, leading to fears the UK government had funded a very expensive white elephant. However SA Airlink, which uses a smaller Embraer E190, is now serving the British Overseas Territory on a scheduled basis.
