AUSTRIAN AIRLINES PERFORMS INAUGURAL FLIGHT FROM VIENNA TO MAHE
(Posted 27th October 2017)
(Picture courtesy of Seychelles Tourism Board)
The Seychelles’ yesterday morning saw yet another inaugural flight take place when an Austrian Airlines Boeing B767 touched down at the international airport on the main island of Mahe.
The Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Mr. Maurice Loustau-Lalanne was at the ready to welcome airline officials, crew and passengers but also present were the Principal Secretary for Tourism, Anne Lafortune, the Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Mr. Garry Albert, the Chairman of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) Captain David Savy, SCAA’s Chief Executive, Mr. Gilbert Faure, the Seychelles Tourism Board’s Regional Manager based in Frankfurt, Mrs. Edith Hunzinger, as well as Lufthansa Group’s General Manager Sales for East Africa, Tobias Ernst who is based in Nairobi.
‘Europe is today giving us 18 percent more passengers than last year and the direct flights will contribute significantly towards consolidating the market, and as it’s a direct flight we are expecting to see a shift towards the high end visitors, which is the segment we are continuously seeking to attract for Seychelles as a tourist destination‘ said Minister Loustau-Lalanne.According to the National Bureau of Statistics, a total of 5,943 Austrian visitors have landed in the island nation up to October 22 this year, representing an 18 percent increase over last year, and Minister Loustau-Lalanne is predicting a 40 percent growth in visitor numbers from Austria by the end of this year, up from the 34 percent increase recorded last year.
Austrian Airlines, part of the Lufthansa Group and a member of the Star Alliance, will be operating once weekly non-stop flights to and from the Austrian capital Vienna, using a Boeing 767. The flight departs Vienna International Airport on Wednesday evening, returning from Seychelles on Thursdays evening.
While on the islands was it also established that all main resorts on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue appear to be fully booked, reiterating the importance of a recent announcement by the Minister that resort and hotel developers sitting on their building and development permits, must either start construction within a year or else have their licences withdrawn and reallocated to more serious investors.
Links to that and other topics: https://atcnews.org/2017/10/23/build-your-resorts-or-risk-lose-your-permits-does-seychelles-tourism-minister-tell-investors/
https://atcnews.org/2017/10/02/seychelles-tourism-ministry-unveils-new-website/
or just enter Seychelles into the search column of ATCNews.org to find out what is happening on the islands.
