Air Seychelles has confirmed it will double the frequency of its flights from its home base on Mahe Island in the Indian Ocean island archipelago to Johannesburg from December 1, 2012 through the introduction of an additional two weekly flights. The airline had originally planned to move from two to four weekly frequencies in early 2013 but strong advanced bookings have persuaded it to bring forward the expansion.
“In March, we announced that we would double our services to Johannesburg when our second Airbus A330 is delivered next year, but because of strong bookings from South Africa and a projected boom over the busy holiday season, we reassessed the schedule to find a way to increase our frequency sooner,” said Cramer Ball, Chief Executive Officer, Air Seychelles. “We will now operate a turn-around Johannesburg service in December, ensuring better air support during weekends for the increasing number of tourists coming to the islands.”
The South African route has been a key part of the Air Seychelles network strategy for a long period of time. In the early 1980s the airline utilised its Boeing 707s on the route and has subsequently used 737s, 757s and 767s at various times, hitting its peak in 2004 when it provided up to 19 flights a month. For the past three months the airline’s shareholder Etihad Airways has been providing service using its own Airbus A330-200s but Air Seychelles will take over responsibility for the operation of the route with its own equipment.
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