Air Seychelles
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| Founded | 1977 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Seychelles International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Etihad Guest | ||||||
| Airport lounge | Salon de Vallee de Mai | ||||||
| Alliance | Vanilla Alliance | ||||||
| Fleet size | 9 | ||||||
| Destinations | 9 | ||||||
| Parent company | Government of Seychelles (60%) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Mahé, Seychelles | ||||||
| Key people | |||||||
| Revenue |
 US$ 106.9 million (2014)[2] | ||||||
| Profit |
US$ 3.2 million (2014)[2] | ||||||
| Employees | 650 (2014)[2] | ||||||
| Website |
www | ||||||
Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, with its head office located at Seychelles International Airport on the island of Mahé. It operates inter-island services, charter services and international flights. Its main base is Seychelles International Airport. As the main driver of tourism in Seychelles, it is one of the core pillars of the national economy. The airline offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, Antananarivo, Johannesburg, Mauritius, Mumbai, Beijing and Paris. Air Seychelles also operates daily domestic flights and charter services throughout the archipelago.
The airline is currently 40% owned by Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. Under the strategic equity partnership, the two airlines have collaborated on a long-term business plan which sees Air Seychelles renew its fleet, take advantage of Etihad Airways' resources and extensive global route network, maximize efficiencies and boost sales opportunities
History
Establishment
The airline was established by the Seychelles government on 15 September 1977, following the merger of Air Mahé and Inter-Island Airways, as Seychelles Airlines and adopted the present title of Air Seychelles, in September 1978. The airline began international routes in 1983 to Frankfurt and London.
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. After running 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' extensive network of destinations.
Passengers can now travel worldwide via Abu Dhabi from the Seychelles. On 16 March 2012, Air Seychelles announced a two-year business plan with the objective of improving the carrier's position. The plan outlines the renewal of Air Seychelles fleet, leveraging Etihad Airways equity partnership – known as Etihad Airways Partners (EAP).
Highlights of the plan include:
• The introduction of Airbus A330−200 aircraft,
• Increased frequencies to key destinations,
• Closer cooperation with Etihad Airways to identify economies of scale and synergies in staff training, procurement and product development,
• Extended codeshare operations with Etihad Airways to connect the Seychelles, through Abu Dhabi, with a global network of passenger and cargo destinations.
On 12 March 2015, Air Seychelles released their results for 2014, declaring US$3.2 million in net profits.
Etihad Airways Partners (EAP)
Etihad Airways Partners is Etihad Airways equity alliances group of which Air Seychelles is a part. Participating airlines include Alitalia, Jet Airways, airberlin, NIKI, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional.
A combined network of over 250 destinations across 6 continents provides easier access to bookings through the ease of using one and the flexibility to find the most convenient times for passengers journey.
Frequent flyer members also have access to standardized mileage and tier benefits across all partners, with no black-out periods and priority services.
Corporate affairs
Ownership
Air Seychelles was originally set up and owned by the Government of Seychelles, having purchased and grouped together several small aircraft operators under one company. 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 current shareholders are:[3]
| Name | Interest |
|---|---|
| Government of Seychelles | 60% |
| Etihad Airways PJSC | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
Corporate livery
In October 2011, after nearly 25 years in the traditional red, white and green local colours with two white terns (Gygis Alba Candida, the national bird of Seychelles), Air Seychelles painted its first Boeing 767-300ER aircraft in the company's new colors. The colors used on the tail end are blue, green, red and white.
In October 2015, Business Insider magazine had voted Air Seychelles as having one of the best liveries in the sky. The branding came in as one of the top three "paint jobs in the sky."
Destinations
Air Seychelles international destinations currently includes Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Johannesburg (South Africa), Mauritius, Mumbai (India) and Paris (France)
Codeshare agreements
Air Seychelles has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[4]
Fleet
Current fleet
The Air Seychelles fleet comprises the following aircraft (as of August 2016):[5]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200[6] | 2 | — | 16 | 120 | 136 | |
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | — | 18 | 236 | 254 | |
| DHC-6 Series 300 Twin Otter | 2 | — | – | 19 | 19 | |
| DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otter | 4 | — | – | 19 | 19 | |
| Total | 9 | — | ||||
After over two decades of an all Boeing fleet which over the years have included a large variety of Boeing 767, Boeing 757, Boeing 737 and the Boeing 707 in the early days, Air Seychelles introduced the Airbus A330 as part of its fleet from the summer of 2012 to serve its long haul destinations to include China from early 2013.. Air Seychelles began domestic fleet operations using Trilanders, Islanders and later the Shorts 360 aircraft. The current domestic fleet consists of only DeHavilland DHC-6 (300) Twin Otters and Viking -400 series Twin Otters.
Services
Air Seychelles sentiment is to reflect the best of Creole hospitality, culture and values, by treating their passengers with Creole warmth.
Onboard Connectivity
Air Seychelles launched HM Connect, an onboard connectivity service, was launched during September 2015, allowing passengers to access internet, messaging and calls on mobile phone devices and access to Live TV streaming.
HM Connect is available on the following routes:
- Seychelles – Paris (vv)
- Seychelles – Johannesburg (vv)
- Seychelles - Abu Dhabi* (vv)
- Seychelles – Mauritius* (vv)
- Seychelles - Beijing (vv)
*Subjected to A330-200 operation
Cabin
On all international routes, Air Seychelles operates two class carriers on the Airbus A320 and Airbus A330-200.
Business Class – A320 and A330-200
Business Class seats are upholstered that convert into fully-flat beds, a dine on demand service with menus that offer a both traditional Creole and international flavors, including a selection of wine and liqueurs, including locally produced rum, Takamaka. Each seat comes with a personal, 10.4 inch TV screen with a wide selection of movies, TV Shows, documentaries and games, PC power outlet and USB port.
Economy Class - A320 and A330-200
Economy Class seats are ergonomically designed with a 32-inch seat pitch, hammock style headrest, personal TV screen with a wide selection of movies, TV shows, documentaries and games a PC power outlet and a USB port. Onboard service includes a choice of up to three meals.
Air Seychelles VIP
Air Seychelles VIP is a specialized facility offering exclusive services for VIP passengers, aircraft crew and a range of aeronautical technical support, including Fix Based Operation (FBO).
Air Seychelles VIP's Fixed-Based Operation (FBO) and is managed in conjunction with Royal Jet – a world leader in luxury flight services, providing discreet and secure airside transfers between domestic and international terminals.
Royal Jet
Royal Jet is a luxury flight services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In recognition of its service excellence, Royal Jet has been voted the World's Leading Private Jet Charter by the WTA for two consecutive years and Middle East's Leading Private Jet Charter, in the Middle East Travel Awards. Royal Jet's Fixed-Base Operations facility (FBO) at Abu Dhabi was also voted Best in the Middle East by Aviation International News.
Loyalty Programme
Etihad Guest
Since June 16, the Air Seychelles Plus Programme has been fully integrated into Etihad Guests, the award winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways. Air Seychelles Plus Programme members can now benefit with improved benefits, services and flexibility. The members of the Air Seychelles Plus Programme were automatically created new Etihad Guest membership once the takeover commenced. Members were able to automatically earn eight Etihad Guest Miles for every Seychelles Plus point in their account from June 15.
Additionally, the previous Seychelles Plus tier level was carried over to the new Etihad Guest membership, for example, Air Seychelles Plus Gold Members were automatically enrolled as Etihad Guest Gold members.
Air Seychelles Awards
Air Seychelles has received various awards and certifications that demonstrated their commitment to passengers and reaching the highest levels of standards in aviation.
In 2014, Air Seychelles received a prestigious four-star rating from Skytrax, as well as accolades for the Leading Business Class and Leading Cabin Crew in the Indian Ocean from the World Travel Awards.
Awards
2015 Indian Ocean's Leading Airline
2015 Indian Ocean's Leading Airline - Business Class
2015 Indian Ocean's Leading Cabin Crew
2014 Indian Ocean's Leading Airline - Business Class
2014 Indian Ocean's Leading Cabin Crew
2007 Indian Ocean's Leading Airline - Business Class
2004 Indian Ocean's Leading Airline
2003 Indian Ocean's Leading Airline
References
- ↑ "ROY KINNEAR APPOINTED CEO OF AIR SEYCHELLES". airseychelles.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Press release - Air Seychelles posts third consecutive year of net profitability". 12 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ↑ "Air Seychelles profits from successful expansion strategy". 10 April 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ↑ "Profile on Air Seychelles". CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
- ↑ "Global Airliner Guide 2016 (Part Two)". Airliner World (November 2016): 31.
- ↑ "Air Seychelles celebrates arrival of new Airbus A320". www
.airseychelles . 2014-11-30. External link in.com |publisher=(help)
External links
Media related to Air Seychelles at Wikimedia Commons
