AIR AUSTRAL RESUMES NONSTOP FLIGHTS TO SEYCHELLES
(Posted 24TH May 2014)
Air Austral, Reunion’s home airlines, yesterday evening resumed operations to the Seychelles with initially two flights per week, every Monday and Thursday from Reunion’s Roland Garros Interrnational Airport to Mahe and every Tuesday and Friday, in the early hours, back from Mahe to Reunion.
The inaugural flight, operated on a B737-800NG, carried 93 passengers and crew and were welcomed at the airport by the Seychelles Minister for Home Affairs and Transport Joel Morgan, Principal Secretary Tourism Ms. Anna Lafortune and the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board Ms. Sherin Naiken.
Said Minister Morgan as he welcomed the inaugural flight: ‘It’s an important step for Seychelles and Reunion because the resumption of Air Austral flights to Seychelles is the result of the political will of James Michel, President of Republic of Seychelles and Didier Robert, President of Regional Council of Reunion Island, to open connectivity between Seychelles and Reunion’.
Air Austral had suspended its flights to Seychelles nearly two years ago but the restart of non-stop flights to Seychelles sends a positive message to the tourism trade partners in Seychelles as well as Reunion that inter island traffic and the added connections between to Vanilla Island members will benefit both countries. It is in particular the small guest houses, self-catering establishments and small hotels which will cater for the nationals travelling between the two islands while tourists may take advantage of the branded hotels in both islands. The ‘Seychelles Secret’ brand, which was created exclusively for small hotels, guest houses and self-catering establishments, was in the past and will again in the future be the main beneficiary of the renewed air links.
Air Austral has more recently put into place an airpass system which allows passengers flying long haul to Reunion on Air Austral, to fly on to the Seychelles for a mere 180 Euros return, all taxes included, while other Indian Ocean destinations are on offer for as little as 45 Euros a sector or 90 Euros return.
For more information on both Vanilla Islands visit www.reunion.fr – www.seychelles.travel and www.air-austral.com
