Air Seychelles to take delivery of Airbus A320 in December |30 July 2014

Air Seychelles will take delivery of its first Airbus A320 aircraft in December 2014, heralding significant enhancements to its international flight schedule at the same time.

The changes, effective December 1, include increased weekly frequencies between Seychelles and Abu Dhabi, more capacity on flights to Mauritius, and revised schedules for routes to and from Johannesburg, Mauritius and Paris.

Air Seychelles’ chief executive Manoj Papa, said: “The addition of a two-cabin Airbus A320 aircraft to our fleet, configured with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy Class, forms an essential component of our plan to establish Air Seychelles as the carrier of choice in the Indian Ocean region.

“The aircraft, a wet lease from partner Etihad Airways, will allow Air Seychelles to extend the depth and breadth of its network, increase its regional brand presence, and crucially deliver more revenue which will be used to further develop Air Seychelles’ expanding services.

“Subject to regulatory approvals and beyond confirmed schedule updates and frequency enhancements, additional route announcements are planned in the coming months, so that by the end of 2014 our brightly-coloured aircraft will be seen at many more destinations.

“I am particularly excited for the increased capacity on our Mauritius route, which will provide our guests with more flexible travel options.”

From December, Mauritius services will move to a morning departure from Seychelles, operating on Monday, Friday and Saturday, with the Saturday service flown by the island carrier’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft, providing 29 per cent more seat capacity.

Paris services operated by Air Seychelles’ Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft will sport new flight numbers, and depart Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday and Saturday respectively, arriving in Seychelles Thursday and Sunday.  Similarly, flights to Paris will depart Seychelles on Tuesday and Friday, arriving in Paris the following day.

Johannesburg’s three weekly wide-body services will operate on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, offering a convenient new weekend option for guests.

Air Seychelles’ services between Abu Dhabi and Seychelles will increase from 14 to 18 flights per week, while partner Etihad Airways will continue to operate three return services per week on the same route, offering customers a choice of 24 weekly flights between Seychelles and Abu Dhabi.

Mr Papa said:  “Our new fleet arrival, enhanced schedule and additional frequencies take Air Seychelles to the next level.
“Combined, these developments will cement Air Seychelles’ successful turnaround strategy, increase and secure inbound tourism flows to Seychelles, and economically, be hugely positive in terms of facilitating more trade across our network.

“Our international network continues to perform well and with these additional flights, we look forward to increasing connectivity to key markets important for Seychelles tourism – in Asia such as Beijing, Chennai, Delhi, Riyadh, and Tokyo, as well as in traditional and emerging European markets including Rome, Moscow and Paris.

Tickets for the new schedule are on sale from today and can be purchased online via airseychelles.com, through a travel agent, by visiting Air Seychelles sales offices, or by calling the Air Seychelles’ Call Centre on +248 439 1000.



AIR SEYCHELLES SCHEDULE FROM DECEMBER 2014 (ALL TIMES ARE LOCAL)

Paris flight schedule, effective 2 December 2014:
Flight     Departs    Time    Arrives    Time    Aircraft    Frequency
HM 0008    SEZ    20:35    CDG    06:45+1    A330-200    Tuesday, Friday
HM 0007    CDG    20:35    SEZ    12:40    A330-200    Wednesday, Saturday
 
Johannesburg flight schedule, effective 2 December 2014:
Flight     Departs    Time    Arrives    Time    Aircraft    Frequency
HM 0060    JNB    12:25    SEZ    19:20    A330-200    Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
HM 0061    SEZ    08:00    JNB    11:10        
 
Mauritius schedule, effective 1 December 2014:
Flight     Departs    Time    Arrives    Time    Aircraft    Frequency
HM 0054    MRU    16:30    SEZ    19:05    A320    Monday, Friday
                    A330-200    Saturday
HM 0055    SEZ    09:30    MRU    12:05    A320    Monday, Friday
                    A330-200    Saturday
 
Abu Dhabi schedule, effective 1 December 2014:
Flight     Departs    Time    Arrives    Time    Aircraft    Frequency
HM 0008    SEZ    20:35    AUH    01:05    A330-200    Tuesday, Friday
HM 0007    AUH    08:05    SEZ    12:40    A330-200    Thursday, Sunday
HM 0086    SEZ    15:40    AUH    20:10    A330-200    Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
HM 0087    AUH    02:15    SEZ    06:50    A330-200    Saturday
                    A320    Tuesday, Thursday
HM 018    SEZ    20:35    AUH    01:05+1    A330-200    Saturday
                    A320    Monday, Wednesday, Sunday
HM 019    AUH    08:20    SEZ    12:55    A330-200    Tuesday
HM 0187    AUH    02:15    SEZ    06:50    A320*    Monday
                    A330-200    Friday, Sunday
*operated by A330-200 from 1 Dec –7 Dec
 
Hong Kong flight schedule, effective 2 December 2014:
Flight     Departs    Time    Arrives    Time    Aircraft    Frequency
HM 0086    SEZ    15:40    HKG    09:05    A330-200    Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
HM 0087    HKG    18:20    AUH    23:25    A330-200     Monday, Wednesday, Friday
 AUH    02:15    SEZ    06:50+1    A320    Monday, Wednesday
A330-200    Friday