The Airlink Embraer E190-100IGW aircraft landed successfully at St Helena Airport at around 11.34am on Monday, 21 August 2017.
The aircraft landed on Runway 20 at St Helena Airport after a six hour journey from Johannesburg, South Africa, incorporating a fuelling stop in Windhoek, Namibia.
The proving flight was for Airlink to demonstrate to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) operational proficiency in terms of ETOPS (Extended Range Twin Engine Operations) requirements. This is a routine exercise for new air services, and part of the preparations for introducing an air service on a new route.
Airlink carried out a total of 13 flight trials at St Helena Airport. These included ‘touch and go’ - where the aircraft circles the runway, comes in to land, touches the wheels to the runway, and immediately takes off again for another circuit.
The aircraft departed St Helena Airport at 3.11pm on Tuesday, 22 August 2017, having carried out a successful proving flight.