Remote island St Helena gets flights

The first commercial flight is departing for St Helena, a South Atlantic island that until recently was only accessible by boat.

One of the world's most remote places is becoming a little less isolated.

It is where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his last years in exile.

The SA Airlink plane is leaving Johannesburg on a six-hour journey to the British-ruled territory.

St Helena hopes to draw more tourists to its rugged landscapes and marine life, with the novelty of visiting a spot far off the beaten track.

The new weekly air service brings an end to what had been the only regular way to reach the island.

The royal mail ship St Helena, which takes nearly a week to get there from Cape Town, will stop its voyages in February.