Air Charter Service and Air Seychelles bring home winning team from epic Dakar desert race |04 February 2022

The Toyota DKR Hilux T1+ which was driven by the winning duo of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel

Earlier this month, leading aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, chartered an Air Seychelles’ Airbus A320neo to fly the victorious Toyota Gazoo Racing Dakar Team back to Johannesburg, following the climax of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel stormed to victory in their Toyota DKR Hilux T1+, ably assisted by their large support team.

Lyndee du Toit, chief executive of ACS South Africa, commented: “We arranged the charter to fly the 96-strong team out from Johannesburg to Jeddah on Boxing Day, ahead of the two-week race, which started on January 1, 2022 and travelled the length and breadth of Saudi Arabia. The gruelling 13-stage race covered more than 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) of Saudi Arabia’s dirt tracks and deserts and saw the Toyota team run out victorious on Friday, January 14, 2022. A couple of days later the charter flew them back to South Africa, triumphant, on board the A320neo.”

Charles Johnson, chief commercial officer of Air Seychelles, commented: “We are thrilled to yet again be working with ACS and to be the charter air carrier of choice for winning sports teams. In the case of the Dakar Rally, stretching our wings from Jeddah to Jo’burg nonstop on our A320neo – teams around the world prefer the safe, reliable and friendly Creole spirit they receive when chartering with Air Seychelles.”

A spokesperson for the Toyota Racing team said: “The charter flight to and from Jeddah was a remarkable experience. Getting all the South African competitors to and from the Dakar rally was a monumental task, but ACS was completely up to the job. The specific aircraft, flight crews and cabin crews were all modern, well-trained and dedicated, and the in-flight service and food was simply spectacular.”

Press release from Air Seychelles