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PLANE DANGEROUS

Passenger jet aborts landing at UK’s most dangerous airport which had to be closed because it is too windy

Remote St Helena airport was due to open last month but was postponed because aircraft struggle to land there

BRITAIN'S newest and most dangerous airport has been grounded - because planes cannot land there.

A video of a British Airways liner coming in for landing at St Helena's £285million airport reveals just how tricky it is to touch down on the wind-buffeted Atlantic island.

The British Airways plane comes in to land at St Helena's new airport
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The British Airways plane comes in to land at St Helena's new airportCredit: Youtube
But the plane struggles to touch down on the tarmac as it is hit by heavy winds
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But the plane struggles to touch down on the tarmac as it is hit by heavy windsCredit: Youtube
And it is forced to abort the landing and head back out to sea as the winds make touching down impossible
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And it is forced to abort the landing and head back out to sea as the winds make touching down impossibleCredit: Youtube

The jet closes in for landing on the island 1,150 miles west of South Africa, but it is forced to abort after being thrown about by fierce winds.

The British colony is renowned for its extreme Atlantic gusts.

And it has forced officials into re-thinking the opening of the airport, which was due to be officially unveiled last month.

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In test runs commercial jets have struggled to land on the tarmac in the face of heavy winds.

The island - where Napoleon was exiled following the Battle of Waterloo - is one of the world's most remote spots and only accessible via a boat from South Africa or the British overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha.

The British colony in the middle of Atlantic Ocean was the home of Napoleon during his later years after he was exiled there by the British following the Battle of Waterloo
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The British colony in the middle of Atlantic Ocean was the home of Napoleon during his later years after he was exiled there by the British following the Battle of WaterlooCredit: Alamy
More than 1,000 from the African coast, the remote island is only accessible by sea until the brand new airport is finally opened
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More than 1,000 miles from the African coast, the remote island is only accessible by sea until the brand new airport is finally openedCredit: Google Maps

And the delay in opening the much-awaited airport is likely to cause dismay amongst its population of just over 4,000.

Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office said: "The airport's planned opening date in May 2016 has been postponed as outstanding safety concerns are addressed, potentially adding to the project's cost and delaying its benefits."

The multi-million pound airport is being paid for by the Department for International Development.

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