Air Seychelles

Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles. Its head office is located at Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé and it operates inter-island and international flights and charter flights. The airline is currently 40% owned by Etihad Airways.

Air Seychelles
IATA ICAO Callsign
HM SEY SEYCHELLES
Founded1977
HubsSeychelles International Airport
Frequent-flyer programEtihad Guest
Alliance
Fleet size7
Destinations6
Parent companyGovernment of Seychelles (60%)
HeadquartersMahé, Seychelles
Key peopleRemco Althuis (CEO)
Revenue US$ 106.9 million (2014)[1]
Profit US$ 3.2 million (2014)[1]
Employees650 (2014)[1]
Websitewww.airseychelles.com

History
An Air Seychelles Airbus A320
A former Air Seychelles Airbus A330-200, pictured in 2014. The Airline no longer operates this type of aircraft.

Establishment

The Seychelles government merged Air Mahé and Inter-Island Airways, creating Seychelles Airlines, on 15 September 1977. Air Seychelles began domestic operations using Britten-Norman Trislander, Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander and later Short 360 aircraft. It was renamed Air Seychelles in September 1978. The airline began international routes in 1983 to Frankfurt and London.[2]

Restructuring

In February 2012 the United Arab Emirates national carrier, Etihad Airways, invested US$45 million in Air Seychelles for a 40% share in the airline following problems of management and profitability. After operating at a loss for two years in a row, Air Seychelles planned to restructure and re-position itself to return to profit. The airline entered into codeshare agreements with Etihad Airways and started flying to Abu Dhabi in March 2012 to connect to Etihad Airways' network of destinations.[3]

On 16 March 2012, Air Seychelles announced a two-year business plan including the renewal of its fleet, leveraging Etihad Airways equity partnership – known as Etihad Airways Partners (which also includes Alitalia, Air Serbia and Virgin Australia), the introduction of Airbus A330−200 aircraft after over two decades of an all-Boeing fleet, increased frequencies to key destinations, and closer cooperation with Etihad Airways.[3]

On 12 March 2015, Air Seychelles released their results for 2014, declaring US$3.2 million in net profits.[3]

Restructuring

In January 2018, Air Seychelles announced the closure of its sole long-haul route (Paris), the return of its two Airbus A330 long-haul aircraft, and a focus on its regional network.[4] The plan is aimed at ensuring the long-term profitability and sustainability for the airline, in response to rapidly increasing competition. Remco Althuis, Interim CEO, said, 'The launch of competing air services from Europe to Seychelles will significantly impact Air Seychelles' flights to and from Paris, which account for approximately 30% of total passenger revenue at the airline, making the route unsustainable.' The airline will refocus on its domestic and regional networks, with a reduced workforce.[5]

Corporate affairs

Ownership

Air Seychelles was established and originally owned by the Government of Seychelles, having purchased and merged several small aircraft operators into one airline. Following problems of management and profitability, Etihad Airways acquired a 40 per cent stake in Air Seychelles in 2012, in a deal worth $45m.

The key trends for Air Seychelles over recent years are shown below (as at year ending 31 December):

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Turnover (US$m) 42.8 88.7 106.9 105.4
Net Profits (US$m) 1.1 3.0 3.2 2.1
Number of employees (at year end) 536 629 650 727 787 725
Number of passengers (000s) 241 352 412 523 550 455
Passenger load factor (%) 50 60 66
Number of aircraft (at year end) 10 10 7
Notes/sources [6][7] [1][8][9] [10] [11][12] [13] [14][15]

Services

Air Seychelles flights operated by an Airbus A320 have Business Class.

Air Seychelles VIP is a specialised facility offering services for VIP passengers, aircraft crew and aeronautical technical support, including fixed-base operation which is managed in conjunction with Royal Jet.[16]

The Air Seychelles Plus Programme has been fully integrated into Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways since June 2012.[17]

Destinations

As of January 2020, Air Seychelles serves the following destinations:[18][19]

Country City/Locality Airport Notes Ref
IndiaMumbaiChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport[20]
IsraelTel AvivBen Gurion Airport[21][22]
MadagascarAntananarivoIvato International AirportSeasonal[23]
MauritiusPort LouisSir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport
SeychellesBird IslandBird Island AirportCharter[18][19]
Denis IslandDenis Island AirportCharter[18][19]
D'Arros IslandD'Arros Island AirportCharter[18][19]
MahéSeychelles International AirportHub
PraslinPraslin Island Airport
South AfricaJohannesburgO. R. Tambo International Airport[24]
United Arab EmiratesAbu DhabiAbu Dhabi International AirportTerminated[25]

Codeshare agreements

Air Seychelles has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[26]

Fleet

Current fleet
Air Seychelles DHC-6 Twin Otter

As of May 2020, the Air Seychelles fleet comprises the following aircraft:[27]

Air Seychelles fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
J Y Total
Airbus A320neo 2[28] — 12 156 168[29]
Viking Air DHC-6-400 Twin Otter 5 — – 19 19
Total 7

Livery

In October 2011, after nearly 25 years in the traditional red, white and green local colours with two white terns (Gygis alba, the national bird of Seychelles), Air Seychelles painted its first Boeing 767-300ER aircraft in the company's new colours. The colours used on the tail end are blue, green, red and white.

References
  1. "Press release - Air Seychelles posts third consecutive year of net profitability". 12 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  2. "History". Air Seychelles. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. "Air Seychelles profits from successful expansion strategy". 10 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  4. centreforaviation.com - Air Seychelles to suspend services and restructure fleet under strategic transformation plan 24 January 2018
  5. "Air Seychelles announces business transformation plan to safeguard long-term profitability" (Press release). Air Seychelles. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  6. "Air Seychelles profits from successful expansion strategy". 10 April 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  7. "Press release - Air Seychelles posts second consecutive year of net profitability". 10 April 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  8. "Our Fleet". Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  9. "Air Seychelles posts 6.6% rise in net profit". 12 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  10. "Air Seychelles records profitability in 2015". 3 May 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  11. "Air Seychelles honours long-serving staff at special awards ceremony". 29 January 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  12. "Air Seychelles celebrates new passenger record of 550,000". 30 December 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  13. "Air Seychelles Announces Radical Transformation, Cancels Longhaul Flights". 23 January 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  14. "Air Seychelles celebrates the achievement of its Seychellois female workforce on International Women's Day". 8 March 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  15. "Air Seychelles ground handling and cargo business record strong performance in 2018". 13 March 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  16. airseychelles.com - Air Seychelles VIP retrieved 18 February 2018
  17. "Our loyalty programme". Air Seychelles. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  18. "Route Map" (PDF). Air Seychelles. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  19. "Timetables". publisher. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  20. "Air Seychelles to increase frequency on its Mumbai route". Air Seychelles. 4 March 2019.
  21. "Air Seychelles to launch weekly direct flights to Tel Aviv in November 2019". Air Seychelles. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  22. EPSTEIN, SONIA (9 July 2019). "Air Seychelles to link Israel with Indian Ocean islands by November". Jerusalem Post.
  23. "Air Seychelles to operate seasonal flights to Antananarivo". Air Seychelles. 13 February 2019.
  24. "Air Seychelles expands Johannesburg service to daily flights". Air Seychelles. 5 March 2019.
  25. "Air Seychelles to adjust its regional network as part of business transformation plan". Air Seychelles. 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  26. "Codeshare Partners". Air Seychelles.
  27. "Our Fleet". Air Seychelles. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019.
  28. "Air Seychelles takes delivery of maiden A320neo". ch-aviation.com. 1 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  29. "Air Seychelles Celebrates The Arrival Of Africa's First A320Neo On Hometurf". airseychelles.com. 2 August 2019. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2019.

Further reading

Media related to Air Seychelles at Wikimedia Commons

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