A major incident has been declared by the local government after checks found the airport's fire engines failed to meet international safety standards, forcing it to halt operations.

The airport is the primary route in and out of the island, which lies 1,200 miles (1,900km) off the south-west African coast and is home to around 4,000 people.

While some small aircraft, such as for medical evacuations, are permitted to fly, officials say passenger flights will be cancelled "until at least 20 February".

The UK government has been alerted to the situation and a specialist team has been set up on the island to work towards reopening the airport.

With journeys by sea taking several days, residents now find themselves stuck and unable to fly to and from the island, and tourists face additional costs for food and accommodation.

The UK-funded airport opened in 2016 but has been beset by problems, leading a review by MPs the same year to find that British taxpayers had been "unquestionably failed" by the £285m development.

Commercial flights have previously been hampered by wind conditions and the facility was labelled a "white elephant" by the Public Accounts Committee.

At a press conference, the island's governor Nigel Phillips said: "The airport fire engines have each developed faults. This degrades the level of fire cover that can be provided."

He went on to say that there was "insufficient fire suppressant that could be put onto an aircraft if needed".

With a landmass of 47 sq miles (121 sq km) in size, St Helena is about the same size as Jersey in the Channel Islands.

But the incident could impact businesses and tourism, which has become a focus of the local economy since the airport was built.

Upcoming events on the island include what has been dubbed the world's most remote marathon on 22 February.

The government has advised people affected to contact their airlines and travel insurers.

BBC News has spoken to some of those impacted by the closure.

Hugh, who lives in Gloucestershire, flew to St Helena with his girlfriend in January for three weeks to visit family but does not know when they can return to the UK.

He said: "We are due to leave here on 15 February to fly to Johannesburg and then on to the UK.

"I haven't heard anything from Airlink or British Airways about our flights yet.

"We can't make alternative bookings as we don't know when the airport will reopen."

Hugh said he is stressed about the unknown and is worried about the extra money he has to find.

He continued: "New flights could cost us £3,000 and we're looking at extending our travel insurance that will cost £90 for 45 days or £190 for over that. And also there is the accommodation in Johannesburg.

"We used up most of our leave to come here and now we might have to take unpaid leave.

"We have a mortgage to pay at home and with the cost of living, it's all a lot of money."

Cheryl Tingler, who lives in Florida with her husband Joe, found out about the airport closure on the day of their arrival in Cape Town, South Africa, from where they planned to travel onwards to St Helena to return her father's ashes.

She said: "As soon as we got to the hotel, we heard the news from my friend.

"We planned the trip for my dad who died of prostate cancer in 2024.

"He was able to live with us in the US for the last year of his life.

"Out of respect for his wishes we planned to bring his ashes back home to St Helena."

Cheryl said they are waiting for news about accommodation, adding: "The travel agency said that they will help us to get accommodation in Cape Town, but we are due to check out tomorrow morning [Tuesday].

"We are retired and we hope to stay in St Helena until May but it is an anxious time."

Meanwhile, Melissa and Nigel James from Northamptonshire were due to fly back to the UK on Tuesday but have to stay in St Helena until the airport reopens.

Their son Ryan said his parents had seen their travel plans cancelled due to the closure and "do not have the financial means to cover an extended and unplanned stay on the island, nor to fund replacement flights once the airport eventually reopens".

He continued: "Accommodation and day-to-day living costs continue to add up, and there is considerable uncertainty about how long the situation may last.

"They are self-employed back home and will lose money by not being able to get back to the UK to work.

"My mum has been on the phone to the Foreign, and Commonwealth Office in London to get more information.

"The local authorities are doing what they can to manage the situation - my parents have been given £20 food vouchers.

"A number of visitors are now in similar circumstances, facing prolonged disruption with little clarity about onward travel options."

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