Air Seychelles gears up for milestone celebration |12 September 2022
Creole warmth onboard Air Seychelles
• Ag. CEO thanks dedicated staff and guests for their support
Air Seychelles is gearing up for its 45th Anniversary on October 26, 2022.
To mark this milestone, the airline’s acting chief executive Sandy Benoiton has said that it will put its dedicated staff and guests who have extended their support to the airline throughout its journey, at the centre of this celebration.
The following is Mr Benoiton’s message ahead of this milestone celebration.
“Air Seychelles has always played an impactful role in a highly competitive industry. Following the merger of Air Mahé and Inter island Airways in 1977, the domestic airline was later officially renamed Air Seychelles in 1978.
“Five years after, in 1983, the wet leasing of a British Caledonian, Douglas DC-10 aircraft allowed us to venture into long-haul services with the launch of our first weekly flights to London via Frankfurt. The aim was to be the best Indian Ocean airline by relying on the people’s dedicated expertise and friendliness. Customer service was blended with the rich Creole touch to retain culture and identity. Air Seychelles became a niche carrier whose main objective was to be a vital instrument of tourism promotion and economic development in a small island state situated far from its main markets.
“In 1989, Air Seychelles took delivery of a new airliner, the Boeing 767 followed by a Boeing 757 in 1993 to operate medium-haul routes.
“Air Seychelles became the world’s smallest international airline serving thirteen destinations on three continents with two aircraft. Now 45 years on, we still aim at keeping Seychelles connected. As the national airline of Seychelles, Air Seychelles keeps supporting and promoting tourism. To date, the airline's regional network operated by two Airbus A320neo aircraft includes Johannesburg, Mauritius, Mumbai, and Tel Aviv, while the domestic network with a fleet of five Twin Otter TurboProp operates between Mahé and Praslin as well as chartered flights on demand.
“Air Seychelles has been ranked as having the third youngest fleet in Africa by ch-aviation the influential airline intelligence provider. An extension of appreciation goes to all those who were involved in the airline’s fleet renewal. Not only does this show that Air Seychelles has a fleet of aircraft that operates economically, but it further demonstrates that the environmental impact was given due consideration when opting for the best fleet for the airline. We are proud that our efforts to minimise our environmental footprint have also been recognised.
“In addition to transporting passengers across the airlines' regional and domestic network, Air Seychelles also offers ground handling and cargo services to customer airlines operating at the Seychelles International Airport. The Ground Handling and Cargo Operations journey throughout these past 45 years has radiated the utmost level of resilience. Back in 2002, agreements were
signed between Air Seychelles and FedEx a leading USA-based worldwide courier service provider, allocating the airline with representation rights of the courier in Seychelles. In the following year, 2003, Air Seychelles leased an Antonov-12 aircraft to support the development of Seychelles as a regional cargo hub. In most recent years Cargo Operations has handled transhipments of 40ft containers, the exportation of perishables, medical supplies during the pandemic outbreak and so
much more.
“On that note, we must also highlight the Ground Handling diligence and hard work in providing the highest level of customer care even through turbulent and uncertain times.
“With millions of passenger embarkation and disembarkation throughout the years, it is also important to highlight Air Seychelles’ commitment to safety, ensuring we operate in a safe and reliable environment. The airline has been a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to date and is a proud compliant of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) since 2006. Upon the completion of intense audits from external auditors every two years, the airline has been accredited with the IOSA certificate, credentials that benchmark the airline safety operations and control systems but also confirm the airline's commitment to maintaining compliance with the global operating safety standards. This is also a tribute to everyone who contributed in one way or another throughout the 45 years.
“A special thank you to every member of the Air Seychelles team for your resilience, commitment, and incredible talents. I feel privileged to be working alongside you, especially while we go through this period of restructuring, in addition, to recovering from this global pandemic.
“Thank you to our customers who continue to choose Air Seychelles and rely on our leading and proven services. We now look forward to extending and improving our value creation, innovation, and success in the years to come.
“Looking back at history, we can say that the story of Air Seychelles has, and continues to be, a remarkable voyage from past, present, and future.
“If you are wondering about offers for this special occasion, I suggest you keep an eye out on our website and our social media pages as we will be having amazing travel promotions on all our international routes for a limited period. Stay tuned to K-radio Seychelles and its fun game shows where more prizes are to be won.
Join us in celebrating our 45th Anniversary!
Sandy Benoiton
Ag chief executive Air Seychelles
