NEW AIRBUS A330 BRINGS AIR SEYCHELLES FLEET TO TEN
(Posted 28th March 2017)
Air Seychelles earlier today received their second Airbus A330 when ‘Vallee de Mai‘, registered as S7-VDM, landed at the international airport on the archipelago’s main island of Mahe. On the controls was Captain Nicole Chang Leng, assisted by First Officer Ronny Morel, who flew in the aircraft from Abu Dhabi ahead of the launch of Duesseldorf flights on the 30th of March. The new bird was welcomed home by a water-cannon salute and a party of government, airline and travel trade representatives led by Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, Roy Kinnear and Chairman of Air Seychelles, Jean Weeling-Lee.
Air Seychelles now operates four jet aircraft, two A330’s and two A320’s deployed on regional, African continental and intercontinental routes besides their domestic fleet of six new generation DHC Twin Otters which perform over 200 domestic flights every week to Praslin and other islands.
Jean Weeling-Lee, the Chairman of Air Seychelles, said: ‘The delivery of a new aircraft is always a special moment for an airline, and today is no exception. With a second A330, our national carrier will now be able to enter the German market and increase capacity on other routes, supporting the growth of inbound tourism and by extension the economic development of Seychelles. ‘Vallée de Mai’ will enable us to strengthen our flight operations and ensure the continued long-term and sustainable growth of the business‘.
Roy Kinnear, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles then added his own voice when he said: ‘The arrival of ‘Vallée de Mai’ is the latest milestone in the development of Air Seychelles. Its colourful tail will soon be seen even more around the world, increasing our brand presence in important markets in Europe and the Indian Ocean, and promoting awareness of the beautiful Seychelles archipelago itself. With our award-winning service and the superior comfort of our A330 cabins, we are confident it will be very well received by both business and leisure travellers‘.
The new aircraft features a business class configuration of 18 premium leather seats that extend into fully-flat beds and have a generous 82-inch seat pitch, as well as a privacy shell for added comfort and a personal 10.5 inch TV screen with on-demand films, TV shows and music.
Guests travelling in economy class can look forward to 236 wide, ergonomically-designed cradle seats that have an industry-leading seat pitch of up to 33 inches, as well as in-seat inflight entertainment systems with a wide range of content.
Air Seychelles is gearing up for a major network expansion that will see an upgrade of its Paris service from three to four-per-week on 28th of March, as well twice-per-week route launches to the German city of Düsseldorf and the South African city of Durban on 30th of March.Air Seychelles is a four star rated airline by Skytrax, the leading international aviation ranking system and part of the Etihad group.
