The Indian Ocean archipelago of the Seychelles has announced the return of four international airlines to the island nation. Tourism is the top contributor to the economy of Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean.
On September 20, 2024, the national tourism board of Seychelles, Tourism Seychelles, revealed that German leisure carrier Condor had resumed flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) on the island of Mahe on September 20 operating an Airbus A330-900neo on the nine-hour flight from Germany.
In addition to these flights, Swiss leisure airline Edelweiss Air operated its first flight to the islands on September 21, 2024, with a return service operating to and from Zurich (ZRH) in Switzerland using an Airbus A340-300. With these two airlines making a welcome return to the Seychelles, the islands are boosting their connections to Europe, a key market that brings thousands of visitors to the Seychelles each year.
Elsewhere, Russian airline Aeroflot will make a return to the islands on October 2, 2024, with two flights per week from Moscow while Turkish Airlines will return to the archipelago on October 28, 2024, with four rotations per week operating from Istanbul.
“The return of these carriers signals a significant boost for the tourism industry, offering tourists a wider range of convenient flight options to reach the islands,” said a Tourism Seychelles statement. “These flights will provide a crucial link between Seychelles and vital European hubs, making the islands more accessible to travelers from around the world.
Earlier in 2024, Tourism Seychelles announced the first direct, non-stop charter flights between Seychelles and Chengdu, China, operated by Sichuan Airlines. This new route is set to begin operations in the last quarter of 2024, further extending Seychelles’ global footprint as a premium tourism destination while also tapping into the vast Chinese travel market.
“We are thrilled to welcome back these key airline partners,” said Bernadette Willemin, Director General for Destination Marketing at Tourism Seychelles. “As a small island nation dependent on tourism, this development is expected to invigorate the nation’s tourism industry by increasing the influx of visitors. The increased connectivity will enable more travelers from across the globe to discover the unique experiences our islands have to offer. We look forward to seeing a positive impact on our tourism sector as these flights resume,” she added.
Tourism Seychelles added that it remains “dedicated to fostering collaborations with both current and potential airline partners with a continued focus on improving accessibility to the islands. These efforts not only serve to increase flight options but also ensure that Seychelles is well-positioned to attract a diverse array of international visitors”.
Having once served several European destinations in its own right, national carrier Air Seychelles now limits itself to operating inter-island and regional flights using a fleet of just two Airbus A320neos and four De Havilland Canada DHC-6 turboprops. The carrier flies on eight routes to seven countries plus between the larger island resorts of the Seychelles archipelago.