Air Seychelles to suspend services in transformation plan

AIR Seychelles will suspend
its Paris and Antananarivo
(Madagascar) services from
April 24 and return the two
leased Airbus A330s in its
fleet.
All passengers scheduled
to fly on the suspended
routes beyond April 24 will
be accommodated on other
flights.
The move forms part of
a strategic transformation
plan aimed at ensuring the
long-term profitability and
sustainability of the airline.
The plan will see the airline
focusing on domestic and
regional networks, and
modernising the fleet by
replacing Airbus A320s with
next-generation aircraft. Air
Seychelles will concentrate
on developing its domestic
operations, including interisland
flights between Mahé
and Praslin, scenic flight
packages and island charters.
Jean Weeling-Lee, chairman
of Air Seychelles, says the
aviation industry is fiercely
competitive and will become
even more so this year as
some of the largest carriers
begin flying to the Seychelles.
In addition to the airlines
already operating to the
Seychelles, British Airways
has announced plans to
launch flights from London in
March, followed by Air France
with services from Paris in
May and the Swiss Edelweiss
Air launching flights from
Zurich in September.
To reduce the financial
impact of such competition,
Air Seychelles will consolidate
its international network
by suspending its Paris
service as part of its network
efficiency development
strategy. It will suspend its
Antananarivo service at the
same time.
“The launch of competing air
services from Europe to the
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 in the
long-term,” says Remco
Althuis, interim ceo of Air
Seychelles.