President welcomes Air Seychelles’ contract to serve Falklands |27 January 2010

In a statement yesterday he said: “The fact that Air Seychelles has won the contract for these services is a mark of the high standing of our national airline and the professionalism and dedication of its staff.”

This follows last Sunday’s first flight by an Air Seychelles B767 from Brize Norton Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire, England, to the Ascension islands and then on to the Falklands in the South Atlantic, off the southern tip of South America.

The contract is to provide the only scheduled air link to Ascension and the Falklands, commonly known as the South Atlantic airbridge.

Air Seychelles successfully bid for it after the UK Ministry of Defence had to seek a replacement for the previous operator, which had to stop flying due to bankruptcy.

Several other prestigious airlines bid for the contract, but Air Seychelles was successful due to its experience of flying 767s and of island locations. The length of the contract has not been finalised, but it is expected that the agreement will significantly improve revenue flows and therefore the airline’s prospects for 2010.

Mr Michel noted that in the increasingly competitive international airline market, it is encouraging that Air Seychelles is seeking to adopt innovative business practices beyond its core business.

“Innovation is key to Seychelles being ready for the future, and we congratulate Air Seychelles for taking the lead in this way,” he said.

In a press release, Air Seychelles said the Wide Awake airfield on Ascension and the RAF Mount Pleasant airfield on the Falklands are both isolated.

Given that Mahe is also considered an isolated airfield with no suitable alternative airports nearby, the national airline’s operational experience weighed heavily in its favour in the selection process.
Air Seychelles was also considered the best choice as it is one of the world’s most experienced B767 operators with over 20 years of extended-range operations.

“We are delighted and proud that Air Seychelles was the airline of choice for such an important mission,” the press release added.

So the operation can be carried out effectively, one of the airline’s five B767s – a B767-300ER – will be permanently based in the UK to fly the twice-weekly service to Ascension and onwards to the Falklands. Crews have been positioned in Ascension and the UK.