(Posted 28th July 2026)
The Seychelles Airport Authority (SAA) expects to post a financial shortfall of around SCR30 million by the end of June after air traffic was disrupted by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, Transport Minister Veronique Laporte has told the National Assembly.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly earlier this month, Laporte said the authority’s revenue had declined by 19%, reflecting reduced flight activity through Seychelles’ airspace.
She said Seychelles had lost five key air routes as a direct consequence of the conflict, resulting in the suspension of 36 weekly flight frequencies.
The authority has also seen a sharp decline in revenue from its Flight Information Region (FIR), which generates income from aircraft transiting Seychelles’ airspace. Before the conflict, SAA recorded an average of 74 overflights a day in March. That figure has since fallen to 55 flights daily, leading to an estimated SCR12 million loss in FIR revenue, equivalent to about 28% of the authority’s revenue for the period.
Laporte added that the authority was also losing about SCR100,000 a month in rental income after reduced business activity prompted several small airport-based businesses to seek financial relief.
Despite the setback, the minister said she expected the authority’s financial position to improve as international flight frequencies gradually return to normal.
The SAA began operations on 1st January 2025, following the separation of the former Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority into two entities. This year had been expected to mark the authority’s first dividend payment to the government.
Before the restructuring, the combined aviation authority paid annual dividends to the state of SCR15 million in 2022, SCR17 million in 2023 and SCR34 million in 2024. Whether the newly established SAA will be able to make a dividend pay
