Just in time for Christmas, Air Seychelles lands in Manila for the first time in history |27 December 2021
The Air Seychelles crew prior to departure to Manila
Air Seychelles has marked another historic milestone by operating for the first time ever to Manila, the principal plus most populous metropolitan region of the Philippines, the center of industrial development as well as the international port of entry.
Flight HM9882 which departed Johannesburg in the late evening on December 24, 2021 under the command of Captain Mervin Sicobo and First Officer Andre Macgaw, landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the only serving airport in the Philippines, at noon, just in time to mark the Christmas celebrations.
The special repatriation flight carrying over 100 Filipinos to their homeland supported by flight deck crew Winsley Confiance, Dereck Imaduwa, cabin manager Jacques Tirant, cabin senior Carol Athanase, flight attendants Mike Maria and Oneil Tamboo as well as engineer Claude Lafortune made a short refuelling stop in Colombo prior to arriving at the archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia.
Air Seychelles’ acting chief executive Sandy Benoiton explained: “2021 has been a year filled with historic milestones, first, establishing connection with Australia a few months back and now proudly landing into Manila for the first time.
“I must say that I am indeed very proud of the team for demonstrating that they have the can-do-attitude to fly Air Seychelles to greater heights, especially during this unprecedented time where we need to continue to seek opportunities that are commercially viable to keep the fleet in the sky, given the ongoing restrictions on commercial travel.
“Aviation is the key to keeping people connected and this is what we do at Air Seychelles. Hence, I take this opportunity to thank all our partners for their support and for continuing to trust Air Seychelles in delivering their passengers safely and timely at their destination.”
The returning flight departed Manila in the late evening on December 25, 2021 to arrive in Seychelles by midday the following day.
Press release from Air Seychelles