Air Seychelles, in which Abu Dhabi-based Etihad holds a 40 percent stake, has announced that it will take delivery of its first Airbus A320 aircraft in December, heralding significant enhancements to its international flight schedule at the same time.
The changes, effective from December 1, include increased weekly frequencies between Seychelles and Abu Dhabi, more capacity on flights to Mauritius, and revised schedules for routes to and from Johannesburg, Mauritius, and Paris.
Air Seychelles CEO Manoj Papa, said: “The addition of a two-cabin Airbus A320 aircraft to our fleet, configured with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy Class, forms an essential component of our plan to establish Air Seychelles as the carrier of choice in the Indian Ocean region.
“The aircraft, a wet lease from partner Etihad Airways, will allow Air Seychelles to extend the depth and breadth of its network, increase its regional brand presence, and crucially deliver more revenue which will be used to further develop Air Seychelles’ expanding services.
“Subject to regulatory approvals and beyond confirmed schedule updates and frequency enhancements, additional route announcements are planned in the coming months, so that by the end of 2014 our brightly-coloured aircraft will be seen at many more destinations.”
Air Seychelles’ services between Abu Dhabi and Seychelles will increase from 14 to 18 flights per week, while partner Etihad Airways will continue to operate three return services per week on the same route, offering customers a choice of 24 weekly flights between Seychelles and Abu Dhabi.
Papa said: “Our new fleet arrival, enhanced schedule and additional frequencies take Air Seychelles to the next level.
“Combined, these developments will cement Air Seychelles’ successful turnaround strategy, increase and secure inbound tourism flows to Seychelles, and economically, be hugely positive in terms of facilitating more trade across our network.
“Our international network continues to perform well and with these additional flights, we look forward to increasing connectivity to key markets important for Seychelles tourism – in Asia such as Beijing, Chennai, Delhi, Riyadh, and Tokyo, as well as in traditional and emerging European markets including Rome, Moscow and Paris.”
In June, Air Seychelles recorded strong first quarter results with a 38.2 percent increase in passenger numbers to 95,372, compared to the same period in 2013.
Passenger numbers on Air Seychelles’ international network increased 77.3 percent to 58,971, a result of more traffic between the Seychelles and Abu Dhabi, Mauritius, Johannesburg and Hong Kong.
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