Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has recommenced flights to Paris from its home base in the Seychelles after a gap of two and half years.
Greeted by a traditional water cannon salute on arrival, inaugural flight HM018 touched down on schedule at the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport at 7:45 am local time today.
The Indian Ocean island-based carrier is deploying its brightly-colored Airbus A330-200 aircraft twice weekly on the new route, offering 18 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 236 seats in Economy Class. The flights operate with a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking in Paris, Joel Morgan, Seychelles Minister for Home Affairs and Transport and Air Seychelles Board Chairman, said: “The Seychelles’ connection to France stretches back 270 years and is symbolized today through shared elements of language, culture, traditions and growing trade and tourism ties.
“Accounting for a quarter of visitors from Europe to the Seychelles every year, France has always been a strategically important market for our airline and it was with deep regret that we had to suspend services to Paris in January 2012. France currently accounts for 24 percent of all visitors from Europe to the Seychelles, while visitors from Europe make up 69 percent of all total stays in the Seychelles. [Source: Seychelles National Statistics Bureau]
“In the interim, we have restructured Air Seychelles to create a profitable and sustainable commercial entity, offering a growing international and domestic route network, a great product and an award-winning service.
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| Greeted by atraditional water cannon salute on arrival, inaugural flight HM018 touched downon schedule at the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport today. |
“Returning to France is symbolic of the success of our turnaround, and we thank the French civil aviation regulatory authorities for granting us approvals to recommence services.
“Over the coming weeks, months and years we look forward to working with business, tourism and cultural bodies in France and in other European markets to bring more passenger and cargo traffic to the Seychelles.”
Flying via Abu Dhabi, Air Seychelles’ new Paris schedule will offer 1,016 extra seats per week to and from the Seychelles and, when combined with codeshare partner Etihad Airways’ existing twice daily Paris-Abu Dhabi operations, provide travelers with a choice of 18 connections per week to and from the Indian Ocean island archipelago.
The new Air Seychelles Paris flight schedule has also been designed to provide easy access to the Seychelles from more than 40 cities across Europe. This includes connecting flights from Paris to Belgrade, Berlin, Birmingham, Bologna, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Florence, Genoa, Helsinki, Lisbon, Lyon, Madrid, Nantes, Newcastle, Stockholm, Vienna, and Warsaw.
Manoj Papa, Air Seychelles’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “Today we are positioning Air Seychelles as the airline of choice from Paris to the Seychelles. Our return comes at a time when demand for business, leisure and cargo services from the French capital, and other key cities in Europe, continues to increase year-on-year.
“Forward bookings are strong, a result of Air Seychelles’ being able to offer that same seat journey experience from Paris to the Seychelles combined with the world-famous Creole warmth and hospitality for which we are renowned.
“The benefits of working with our partner Etihad Airways are available to our guests in Paris, including access to the Etihad Airways’ Premium Lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport, and soon a new luxury personalized pick-up and drop-off chauffeur service.
“Cargo customers will also now have more choice and capacity to and from the Seychelles, courtesy of the 13 tons of bellyhold cargo capabilities of our Airbus A330-200 aircraft which will operate the route.”
To book the Air Seychelles flights from Paris CDG, visit www.airseychelles.com, dial +248 439 10 00 in Seychelles or +33 1 71 70 33 21 from France.
Seychelles-Paris flight schedule
Flight # HM18
Departs Seychelles (SEZ) at 20:35
Arrives Paris (CDG) at 07:45+1
Frequency: Tuesday, Thursday
Flight #HM19
Departs Paris (CDG) at 21:50
Arrives Seychelles (SEZ) at 12:55+1
Frequency: Wednesday, Friday
PHOTO (L-R): Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer Manoj Papa, Seychelles Minister for Home Affairs and Transport and Air Seychelles Board Chairman Joel Morgan, and Air Seychelles Vice Chairman Kevin Knight, mark the arrival of the airline’s return to Paris with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
