(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles reopens its borders on Thursday to visitors from any country except those coming directly from South Africa to relaunch the island nation’s tourism industry, which has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

All travellers will still be required to present a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure and stay in certified accommodations.

SNA looks at the airlines that are connecting the island nation to the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emirates

Already connecting Seychelles to Dubai five times a week, the airline will as from March 28 increase the frequency to seven days a week using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

(Emirates Airline) Photo License: CC BY

Qatar Airways

The airline is already operating flights to the Seychelles three times a week -- Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. With the reopening to visitors from any country, the airline will offer more seats by using its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

(File photo: Patrick Joubert) Photo License: CC BY

Air Seychelles

The Seychelles’ flag carrier is offering services between Seychelles and Tel Aviv three times a week from March 31 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays throughout the summer season.

Air Seychelles is also connecting Seychelles to Dubai at Terminal 3 with weekly flights from March 26 to May 29.

The airline will resume passenger flight to Mumbai from April 7, Mauritius in June 2 and Tel Aviv in August 5.

(Air Seychelles) Photo License: CC BY

Aeroflot

After a hiatus of 17 years, the Russia-based airline with its hub in Moscow will connect Seychelles to Russia with a twice weekly flight with B777 starting April 2. The flights operate on Fridays and Sundays.

(Seychelles Tourism Board) Photo License: CC BY

Air Austral

This airline connects Seychelles with Reunion, a French department in the Indian Ocean. Connectivity will resume once a week starting April 4.

(Anna Zvereva/Wikipedia) Photo License: CC BY-SA 2.0

EL AL/Arkia

The flag carrier of Israel and the second largest airline -- Arkia -- will link Seychelles to Tel Aviv from April 4 with charter flights.

(tjdarmstadt/Wikimedia) Photo License: CC BY 2.0

Turkey Airlines

The airline will resume its flights connecting Instanbul to the Seychelles as of April 23. The Turkish flag carrier will have two flights per week from Istanbul to the archipelago in the Indian Ocean - on Mondays and Thursdays.

(Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC BY

Ethiopian airline

The airline which links Seychelles to its hub in Addis Ababa will return on May 2 with daily flights. With its links to various European countries, this means that from Addis Ababa, there are easy connections to different European-Asian markets.

(Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC BY

Kenya Airways

Operating in the Seychelles for the past four decades, Kenya Airways will resume services from its capital Nairobi to Seychelles with a once-weekly flight from June 27.

(Seychelles Tourism Board) Photo License: CC BY

Edelweiss Air

Linking Seychelles to Zurich in Switzerland, this airline has been offering services since September 2018. Edelweiss Air will be returning to the island nation as of July 3 with once-weekly flights.  

(Salifa Karapetyan, Seychelles News Agency) Photo license: CC-BY

Etihad Airways

The Abu Dhabi-based airline started operations in the island nation after it bought a 40 percent share in the national airline -- Air Seychelles -- in 2012. The airline will resume flights from March 30 to June 30 twice weekly and increase to daily flights effective July 1. 

(Alex Beltyukov) Photo license: CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported

Condor

A leisure airline from Germany, Condor will connect Seychelles to Frankfurt in Germany with one flight per week. Condor will return from Frankfurt to Seychelles starting Saturday, October 1. It will be operating the route with a Boeing 767.  

(Ken Fielding, Wikimedia) Photo License: CC BY-SA 3.0