Runway crack leaves Scots stranded on remote island
A DOZEN Scots are stranded on one of the world’s most remote islands after potholes forced the only air link between the British overseas territory and the outside world to close. Flights to the British-owned territory in the South Atlantic are not expected to resume until 2019 because the airstrip was not properly maintained by the US, preventing flights from landing or taking off. The only way off the island is a 10-day sail to either the Cape Verde Islands or Cape Town and then a flight to the UK. The cost is estimated at around £5,000 via a ship, which passes only every four to six weeks. Among the 800 people grounded on Ascension are a clutch of Scots, including teacher Ruth Halden, from Edinburgh, who upped sticks a year ago for a new life over a thousand miles from the nearest landmass. Ms Halden’s family back in the UK stressed that the music teacher relocated to Ascension precisely because of its remote location but have expressed some concerns about evacuating the island in the event of an emergency. Meanwhile, back in her home city a former pupil has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the stranded Britons and the situation which has left the only airstrip fall into disuse. Jonty Frost, who is only 11, said he would be making his concerns known with a series of letters to the UK Government over the maintenance of the runway and the need for contingencies to be put in place. While Britain owns the island, a deal was struck during the Second World War that gave the US Air Force, which used Ascension as a staging post, responsibility for maintaining the airstrip. There have been no flights between Britain and Ascension, which played a crucial role in retaking the Falklands from Argentina in 1982, since April. Ascension also becomes the second British South Atlantic outpost unable to provide a regular way on and off the island, after plans to open a newly built £250 million runway on St Helena were suspended because of strong winds that make landing planes dangerous. Because St Helena’s airstrip can only accommodate short-haul aircraft, islanders rely on flights to RAF Ascension in order to reach the UK, a link which has now been severed. It has been reported that residents have been directing their anger towards Whitehall for failing to persuade the US to perform repairs to the airstrip after heavy Airbus A330s caused a 10-foot crack to appear, forcing the Ministry of Defence to divert flights. There have also been claims the loss of direct flights to the UK will kill off the fledgling tourist business and force the island’s only hotel to close. Ms Halden’s daughter, Camilla, said: “My mum held a Burns Night in January so I know there are a handful of Scots there. She knows maybe 10 or so. She went there knowing how very remote it is. “That lifestyle was part of the attraction in leaving Edinburgh and accepting the job in Ascension. “And it’s certainly inconvenient that the planes are down. More unnerving though is if something bad should happen. “What happens in the event of an emergency and how the island can respond? “Mum’s hoping to be able to come back for Christmas, but that’s maybe a bit less likely now.” Jonty, a pupil at Stewart Melville School in Edinburgh, said: “I’ve kept in contact with Ms Halden and when I read the article about Ascension I was really quite alarmed about how this has unfolded. “The Foreign Office has clearly not done the proper safety checks on somewhere where the UK has authority. In the first instance I want to raise some awareness of what’s happening in Ascension, but also to contact all those with the resources and influences to help here.” Declared a territory of George III in 1815, the volcanic Ascension Island is part of the St Helena British overseas territory and lies about 1,000 miles from the coast of Africa and 1,400 miles from the coast of Brazil. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We continue to work with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a solution.”
