Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles has recorded a strong first quarter of 2017 by carrying 143,761 passengers, representing an increase of 12.4 per cent over the results achieved during the same period in 2016 (127,923 passengers).
The airline’s domestic operations made a strong contribution to the Q1 2017 results, with passenger volumes rising 13.7 per cent year-on-year, to 55,431.
This growth in domestic traffic was driven by Air Seychelles ramping up the daily frequency of interisland flights between Mahé and Praslin, offering more travel options for residents, day-trippers and tourists arriving on international flights to Seychelles.
March was a particularly strong month for the flag carrier, with more than 20,271 passengers travelling on its domestic flights. On its international network, Air Seychelles saw passenger numbers grow by 11.5 per cent, to 88,330. The busiest origin-and-destination routes were Seychelles-Abu Dhabi and Seychelles-Johannesburg.
Jean Weeling-Lee, Chairman of Air Seychelles, said:
“Air Seychelles continues to fly high in 2017 and is delivering remarkably on its mandate of supporting the growth of tourism in Seychelles. More and more people are choosing to fly with Air Seychelles, cementing our position as the airline of choice in the Indian Ocean.”
Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said:
“Our strong performance in Q1 2017 is a testament to the effectiveness of our business strategy and unwavering focus on our guests.
“It is even more impressive as these numbers were largely achieved prior to the introduction of our new Airbus A330, two new Twin Otter turboprops, and the expansion of our network to Düsseldorf and Durban, which all occurred in mid to late March.”