Turkish Airlines back after one-year hiatus By Christophe Zialor |24 April 2021

Passengers disembarking from the flight yesterday (Photo: Jude Morel)

After a one-year absence, Turkish Airlines has resumed its weekly passenger flights to Seychelles.

The airbus A330-303 from Istanbul touched down at the Seychelles International Airport at 10:30 yesterday morning with 171 passengers.

Turkish Airlines had been in negotiation with the Seychelles Tourism Board and Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) since December to see when it will be able to resume its flights to Seychelles. However at that time its top markets namely in Europe where not permitted to enter the country.

“We are focusing intently on eastern and central Europe as it is a lucrative market for us. Our biggest markets right now are Russia, UAE and Israel,” said Sherin Francis, chief executive of STB.

She added that Turkish Airlines has many connections in eastern and central Europe and will help increase the number of tourists entering the country in the coming weeks.

Olga Petchovisky, a passenger on the flight, noted that she has been waiting for flights to resume to Seychelles as she comes to the island every year.