Mahé - Abu Dhabi connectivity to increase with additional flights by Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways
Air Seychelles Airbus at the Seychelles International Airport at Pointe Larue. (Patrick Valmont)
(Seychelles News Agency) - As of next Monday December 1, the Seychelles national airline Air Seychelles and its UAE based strategic partner Etihad Airways will be operating a total of three additional flights per week between Abu Dhabi and the main Seychelles island of Mahé.
The two additional services by Air Seychelles and one by Etihad will bring to 13 the number of combined weekly return flights to and from Abu Dhabi up from the actual 10.
In a joint statement released this afternoon, the two airlines said the changes will provide "more choice and greater flexibility" to their guests.
“The extra frequencies will provide an additional 217 weekly connections to key destinations across the Gulf region, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, North Asia and Australia, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul. Excellent connectivity will be maintained to and from Europe via Etihad Airways’ hub in Abu Dhabi,” reads the statement.
Air Seychelles, which was established in 1978, entered into a strategic partnership with UAE-based Etihad Airways in 2012 after the Abu Dhabi carrier purchased a 40 percent stake in Air Seychelles.
It was in March the same year that the Indian Ocean archipelago’s national airline commenced flights between Mahé and Abu Dhabi while Etihad Airways began operations in November 2011.
“The enhancements to our flight schedule mark an important step forward towards us establishing a consistent double-daily service between Seychelles and Abu Dhabi in cooperation with our equity partner, Etihad Airways,” Said Air Seychelles CEO, Manoj Papa, in the statement.
“Having the extra seats and cargo capacity of three additional services will allow us to significantly boost the flow of trade and tourism into Seychelles, fulfilling our key mandate of fostering growth in the national economy.”
Apart from Abu Dhabi, Air Seychelles offers direct flights to other regional destinations including, Mauritius, South Africa and Hong Kong.
As of next week it is expected to expand its regional network with the launch of regular flights to India, Tanzania and Madagascar.