Air Seychelles and South African Airways announce codeshare agreement

The first phase of a codeshare agreement between Air Seychelles, and South African Airways (SAA) will see South African Airways place its “SA” code on Air Seychelles’ non-stop flights between Jo

The first phase of a codeshare agreement between Air Seychelles, and South African Airways (SAA) will see South African Airways place its “SA” code on Air Seychelles’ non-stop flights between Johannesburg and Seychelles. South African Airways will also place its code on flights between the two largest islands of Seychelles, Mahe and Praslin, subject to approvals.

Air Seychelles is the national airlines of the Republic of Seychelles, and South African Airways is the national airline of the Republic of South Africa. Ticket sales are set to open on April 29 for travel from April 30.

Subsequent to the launch of the partnership between Air Seychelles and SAA, the airlines will look into expanding the agreement to include Air Seychelles placing its “HM” code on South African Airways’ non-stop flights between Johannesburg and destinations across South Africa.

The deal follows a strategic move by Air Seychelles to increase its connectivity throughout South Africa and continental Africa.

In March 2013, Air Seychelles introduced an enhanced schedule and additional weekly service on its Johannesburg route, bringing the flights to three return services per week with daytime departures and arrivals. The new schedule greatly enhances leisure and business travelers’ ability to connect seamlessly on both airlines across Africa and South Africa, particularly to Cape Town and Durban.

Cramer Ball, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our flights to Johannesburg have been incredibly successful, reflecting an increasing number of travelers coming out of South Africa to the Seychelles for leisure, business, and sport. Traffic from South Africa has grown at a steady pace of 11 percent each year for the past decade. In the first quarter of this year alone, traffic is up 13 percent.

“With this codeshare agreement, guests will be able to purchase flights from South African Airways destinations onwards to the Seychelles on one ticket, making for a simpler and seamless journey.

“We have also established a foundation for twin-center tourism products which combine a safari in Africa with a Seychelles beach holiday. SAA Holidays will also be adding Seychelles to their holiday program, providing a new channel for selling travel to our island nation and supporting the vitally important tourism industry.”

Manoj Papa, South African Airways General Manager Commercial, said: “This partnership signals a strategic move by both airlines to increase connectivity and grow their networks. This also augments SAA’s already extensive African footprint. SAA currently flies directly to 26 destinations across Africa from its Johannesburg hub. Furthermore, the partnership adds breadth to our network, incorporating two additional destinations to the existing global partnership network which provides in excess of 1,329 destinations in 194 countries globally.With strategic partnerships such as this one, SAA is able to provide its passengers with more connections on the continent and across the globe.”

Joel Morgan, Air Seychelles’ Chairman and Seychelles’ Minister for Home Affairs & Transport, said: “This partnership between flag carriers strengthens the historic commercial, political, and cultural ties between the two countries. South Africa is a top trade partner for Seychelles, and we have seen a growing number of South African nationals coming for visits to our islands.

“I’m delighted to establish this official partnership with South African Airways following a year of great change and achievement for our national carrier, particularly as 2013 marks 20 years of service to Johannesburg.”

Subject to regulatory approval, the airlines plan to expand the scope of this agreement to include frequent flyer program reciprocity and more codeshare destinations on their respective networks.

Seychelles and South Africa established formal relations in 1993. Today, South Africa is Seychelles’ strongest African partner. Not only do the two countries share many mutual interests, but also have a strong bilateral partnership over and above their engagement with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union. South Africa is also supporting Seychelles in combating piracy and in its efforts to bring peace and stability in the region.

Tickets can be purchased online via airseychelles.com or flysaa.com. Alternatively, guests can purchase tickets through travel agents, the airlines’ sales offices, or by calling Air Seychelles’ call center at +248 4 38 10 13 or South African Airways’ call center at +27 11 978 5313.

SEYCHELLES-JOHANNESBURG FLIGHT SCHEDULE:

Flight HM61/SA7209
departs Mahe (SEZ), 0800 hours
arrives Johannesburg (JNB), 1110 hours
3 flights per week: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
A330-200 aircraft

Flight HM60/SA7210
departs Johannesburg (JNB) 1225 hours
arrives Mahe (SEZ) 1920 hours
3 flights per week: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
A330-200 aircraft

Seychelles is a founding member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP).

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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