Air Seychelles makes history  with charter flight to Australia |18 May 2021

The cabin crew that looked after the Australian cricket team during the flight

Air Seychelles has made history by operating for the first time ever into the capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities, Sydney, as part of a special charter conducted on Sunday.

The A320neo jetliner ‘Pti Merl Dezil’, which flew from Maldives to Australia carrying a group of 38 players from the Australian Indian Premier Cricket League, successfully landed at the Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport at about 7.30am (local time in Sydney) under the command of Captain Randy François and Julius Nancy.

The players, who were looked after by cabin manager Jacques Tirant, cabin senior Nelly Fostel as well as flight attendants Vogel Rosette and Kethra Quatre, had been staying in the Maldives following the suspension of their tournament in India earlier this month, due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Remco Althuis, chief executive of Air Seychelles, said: “This remarkable achievement clearly demonstrates the capabilities of our company, the hard work, agility and perseverance of our team, who continues to push boundaries during this unprecedented operational environment with great determination. I am extremely proud of the Air Seychelles team!”

The airlines’ chief commercial officer, Charles Johnson, added: “It has been an honour to work with Air Partner Middle East and Cricket Australia to bring home the Australian Cricket team after their tour in India.

“While we are a small airline, we have big wings, capable of achieving heights and destinations beyond our usual network. It is also clear that sporting teams and charter clients around the world trust in Air Seychelles to deliver their VIP guests safely at their destination.”

Over the past months, Air Seychelles has also operated charter flights from Pakistan carrying the South African national cricket team home following their test match series in Karachi, including a special flight from Antananarivo to Addis Ababa for the Madagascar’s national football team CAN2022 qualifications.

Press release from Air Seychelles