Transportation in the Falkland Islands
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The
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
currently has three primary means of transport - road, sea and air. However, in 1946, when Sir Miles Clifford arrived as governor, there were no air services, no roads outside
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
and an indifferent sea service. Sir Miles was instrumental in starting the
Falkland Islands Government Air Service Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) is an airline based at Port Stanley Airport, Falkland Islands. It operates unscheduled passenger services throughout the Falkland Islands. It also undertakes aerial surveillance of the exclusive ...
in December 1948. The inaugural flight involved a mercy flight from
North Arm Settlement North Arm is a settlement in Lafonia, the southern part of East Falkland, in the Falkland Islands, It is on the south coast, on the shore of the Bay of Harbours, and overlooks Sea Lion Island in the distance. In 2007, the population was 25 pe ...
to Stanley to bring a girl with peritonitis to life-saving medical help in Stanley. There is now an international
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
, a domestic airport, a number of airstrips, a growing road network and a much-improved ferry service between the two main islands.


Road

In 1982, the Falkland Islands had no roads outside Stanley, only tracks. By 2007, the Falkland Islands had a road network of with a further roads planned for construction link to all occupied mainland settlements by 2013. In 2012, the Falkland Islands Government classified the road network - East Falkland and West Falkland - into "A" roads, "B" roads and "C" roads for purposes of ''Highways Asset Management Plan''. The "A" roads are the link between Stanley and New Haven ( East Falkland) and the link between
Port Howard Port Howard (Spanish/Argentine name: ''Puerto Mitre''; sometimes ''Puerto Howard'' in Spanish) is the largest settlement on West Falkland (unless Fox Bay is taken as one settlement, instead of two). It is in the east of the island, on an inlet o ...
and
Fox Bay Fox Bay ( es, Bahía Fox or ''Bahía Zorro'' ) is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island. It is often divided into Fox Ba ...
(
West Falkland West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Its area is , 37% of the total area of the islands. Its coastli ...
). All roads within Stanley are asphalted as are the ones at Mount Pleasant Airport (MPA). The road between Stanley and MPA is mostly gravel all-weather roads (as like the rest of the roads in the islands) with some short asphalted sections. The road between Stanley and MPA has a large trench on either side, which will ground any vehicle driving into it. These trenches were allegedly dug deeper than they needed to be as annual rainfall was taken as a number for the monthly rainfall. Stanley has two taxi services which can be used for travel within the town and the surrounding areas. A variety of four-wheel drive vehicles can be hired in Stanley, which are essential for travel along unpaved roads that are potentially badly potholed. A bus service ferries passengers between the main airport for international flights at Mount Pleasant and Stanley. Bicycles can also be hired, though because of the unsealed roads and hilly terrain, these are more suitable for use around the Stanley area. Speed limits are 25 mph (40 km/h) in built-up areas and 40 mph (64 km/h) elsewhere.


Sea

There are two
seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
s in the Falkland Islands, Stanley (East Falkland) and
Fox Bay Fox Bay ( es, Bahía Fox or ''Bahía Zorro'' ) is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island. It is often divided into Fox Ba ...
(West Falkland). Additionally, British forces in the islands use a port facility located at
Mare Harbour Mare Harbour is a small settlement on East Falkland, on Choiseul Sound. It is mostly used as a port facility and depot for RAF Mount Pleasant, as well as a deepwater port used by the Royal Navy ships patrolling the South Atlantic and Antarctica, ...
. The designated harbours in Stanley area include Berkeley Sound, Port William and Stanley Harbour itself. Fox Bay is also a customs entry point for
West Falkland West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Its area is , 37% of the total area of the islands. Its coastli ...
. In 2020 the Government awarded a contract to
BAM Nuttall BAM Nuttall Limited (formerly known as Edmund Nuttall Limited) is a construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Camberley, United Kingdom. It has been involved in a portfolio of road, rail, nuclear, and other major projects worldw ...
to design and build a new port for the Falklands. The Falkland Islands do not have a merchant navy. Since November 2008, a regular ferry service has linked the two main islands, carrying cars, passengers and cargo. The ferry, ''
MV Concordia Bay MV may refer to: Businesses and organizations In transportation * Motor vessel, a motorized ship; used as a prefix for ship names * MV Agusta, a motorcycle manufacturer based in Cascina Costa, Italy * Armenian International Airways (IATA code MV ...
'', a 42.45 m twin-screw shallow draft (2.59 m) landing craft runs between
Port Howard Port Howard (Spanish/Argentine name: ''Puerto Mitre''; sometimes ''Puerto Howard'' in Spanish) is the largest settlement on West Falkland (unless Fox Bay is taken as one settlement, instead of two). It is in the east of the island, on an inlet o ...
in
West Falkland West Falkland ( es, Isla Gran Malvina) is the second largest of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It is a hilly island, separated from East Falkland by the Falkland Sound. Its area is , 37% of the total area of the islands. Its coastli ...
and
New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
in East Falkland. She has a deck, 30 m in length and 10 m in width which is sufficient for 16 one-ten
Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...
s (or equivalent) and accommodation for 30 passengers. She also has a crane that is capable of lifting 10 tonnes at 7 m. She also visits some of the smaller islands. Other smaller boats may be chartered in advance. Tourist cruise ships often visit many of the islands, making use of inflatable boats where adequate docking facilities are not available.


Rail

A gauge railway, known as the
Camber Railway The Camber Railway was a narrow gauge railway located on the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. It was one of the most southerly railways in the world. The Camber Railway was constructed to support the Admiralty wireless station, suppl ...
, was built along the north side of Stanley Harbour in 1915-1916 and used until the 1920s. It was about long. The trackbed is still visible.


Air

The Falkland Islands have two airports with paved runways. The main international airport is RAF Mount Pleasant, west of Stanley. LAN Airlines operate weekly flights to Punta Arenas. Once a month, this flight also stops in
Río Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
, Argentina. The
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
operates flights from RAF Mount Pleasant to RAF Brize Norton in
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
, England, with a refuelling stop at RAF Ascension Island. This service is called the South Atlantic Airbridge.
Bristow Helicopters Bristow Helicopters Limited is a British civil helicopter operator originally based at Aberdeen Airport, Scotland, which is currently a part of the U.S.-based Bristow Group (, S&P 600 component) which in turn has its corporate headquarters in ...
also operate two
Sikorsky S-92 The Sikorsky S-92 is an American twin-engine medium-lift helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft Sikorsky Aircraft is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was established by aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky in 1 ...
helicopters, based at RAF Mount Pleasant, under contract to the United Kingdom
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
, primarily for moving military personnel, equipment and supplies around the islands. The smaller
Port Stanley Airport Port Stanley Airport is an airport in the Falkland Islands, outside the capital, Stanley. The airport is the only civilian airport in the islands with a paved runway. However, RAF Mount Pleasant, located to the west of Stanley, functions a ...
, outside the city, is used mainly for internal flights. The
Falkland Islands Government Air Service Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) is an airline based at Port Stanley Airport, Falkland Islands. It operates unscheduled passenger services throughout the Falkland Islands. It also undertakes aerial surveillance of the exclusive ...
(FIGAS) operates
Islander Islander, Islanders, or The Islanders may refer to: People * Islander, referring to Jersey people * Islander, New Zealand-English term usually meaning Pacific Islander Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''The Islander'' (Rylant novel), ...
aircraft that can use the grass airstrips that most settlements have. Flight schedules are decided a day in advance according to passenger needs and the next day's timetable is published every evening. The schedules are based on three routes - a Northern Shuttle and the Southern Shuttle that each have one flight a day and the East - West Shuttle that has a morning and an evening flight every day. The
British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on ...
operates a transcontinental air link between Port Stanley Airport and the Rothera Research Station on the
Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martín in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctic ...
and servicing also other British bases in the British Antarctic Territory using a de Havilland Canada Dash 7.


References


External links

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