Air Seychelles expects wetleased A320 in December

NEW AIRCRAFT JOINING AIR SEYCHELLES FLEET IN DECEMBER

(Posted 29th July 2014)

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, will take delivery of its first Airbus A320 aircraft in December 2014, heralding significant enhancements to its international flight schedule at the same time.

The changes, effective 1 December, 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’ Chief Executive Officer, 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.

“I am particularly excited for the increased capacity on our Mauritius route, which will provide our guests with more flexible travel options.”

From December, Mauritius services will move to a morning departure from Seychelles, operating on Monday, Friday and Saturday, with the Saturday service flown by the island carrier’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft, providing 29 per cent more seat capacity.

Paris services operated by Air Seychelles’ Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft will sport new flight numbers, and depart Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday and Saturday respectively, arriving in Seychelles Thursday and Sunday. Similarly, flights to Paris will depart Seychelles on Tuesday and Friday, arriving in Paris the following day.

Johannesburg’s three weekly wide-body services will operate on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, offering a convenient new weekend option for guests.

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.

Mr 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.

Tickets for the new schedule are on sale from today.

AIR SEYCHELLES SCHEDULE FROM DECEMBER 2014 (ALL TIMES ARE LOCAL)

Paris flight schedule, effective 2 December 2014:

Flight Departs Time Arrives Time Aircraft Frequency
HM 0008 SEZ 20:35 CDG 06:45+1 A330-200 Tuesday, Friday
HM 0007 CDG 20:35 SEZ 12:40 A330-200 Wednesday, Saturday

Johannesburg flight schedule, effective 2 December 2014:

Flight Departs Time Arrives Time Aircraft Frequency
HM 0060 JNB 12:25 SEZ 19:20 A330-200 Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
HM 0061 SEZ 08:00 JNB 11:10

Mauritius schedule, effective 1 December 2014:

Flight Departs Time Arrives Time Aircraft Frequency
HM 0054 MRU 16:30 SEZ 19:05 A320 Monday, Friday
A330-200 Saturday
HM 0055 SEZ 09:30 MRU 12:05 A320 Monday, Friday
A330-200 Saturday

Abu Dhabi schedule, effective 1 December 2014:

Flight Departs Time Arrives Time Aircraft Frequency
HM 0008 SEZ 20:35 AUH 01:05 A330-200 Tuesday, Friday
HM 0007 AUH 08:05 SEZ 12:40 A330-200 Thursday, Sunday
HM 0086 SEZ 15:40 AUH 20:10 A330-200 Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
HM 0087 AUH 02:15 SEZ 06:50 A330-200 Saturday
A320 Tuesday, Thursday
HM 018 SEZ 20:35 AUH 01:05+1 A330-200 Saturday
A320 Monday, Wednesday, Sunday
HM 019 AUH 08:20 SEZ 12:55 A330-200 Tuesday
HM 0187 AUH 02:15 SEZ 06:50 A320* Monday
A330-200 Friday, Sunday

*operated by A330-200 from 1 Dec –7 Dec

Hong Kong flight schedule, effective 2 December 2014:

Flight Departs Time Arrives Time Aircraft Frequency
HM 0086 SEZ 15:40 HKG 09:05 A330-200 Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
HM 0087 HKG 18:20 AUH 23:25 A330-200 Monday, Wednesday, Friday
AUH 02:15 SEZ 06:50+1 A320 Monday, Wednesday
A330-200 Friday