CLOSE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ABU DHABI AND SEYCHELLES TAKES AIM AT BUILDING NEW AIRPORT
(Posted 20th October 2016)
The close friendship and partnership which developed under former President James Alix Michel’s time in office and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi has seen many projects take off across the archipelago, benefitting the people of the Seychelles.
From water purification plants to desalination plants on to power plants including the wind power mills near the port and airport, Abu Dhabi has time and again come to the aid of Seychelles.
An acquisition some years ago of 40 percent of the national carrier Air Seychelles helped the airline not just survive but begin to prosper again.
Now have news emerged that Abu Dhabi and the Seychelles have signed an agreement following several years of negotiations, that the planning for a new airport will commence immediately with the aim of having a state of the art facility ready by about 2020, to be located north of the present international airport.
Air Seychelles and Abu Dhabi’s national airline Etihad, which is also the national airline of the UAE, operate double daily services between their two airports and from there multiple codeshared flights operated either by Etihad or other partner airlines to destinations in Asia, India, Europe and beyond.
The new airport, when ready, will be able to handle yet further increases in visitor numbers, which last year exceeded 270.000 and which this year may reach 300.000 given a good run over the remaining months of 2016.
For added information about Destination Seychelles click on www.seychelles.travel
