Air Seychelles to fly to Hong Kong in February 2013

Air Seychelles announced today that it would introduce services to Hong Kong in February 2013, subject to regulatory approvals, following the delivery of its second Airbus A330-200 aircraft in January

Air Seychelles announced today that it would introduce services to Hong Kong in February 2013, subject to regulatory approvals, following the delivery of its second Airbus A330-200 aircraft in January 2013.

The airline will operate three return services per week from the Seychelles to Hong Kong via Abu Dhabi.

Cramer Ball, Air Seychellesโ€™ Chief Executive Officer, said: โ€œThe Seychelles needs a national carrier which can support the growing number of travellers into the archipelago, not just from our historical markets in Europe, but also the powerful emerging ones.

โ€œHong Kongโ€™s economy is among the fastest growing in the world, supporting a booming middle class with a high disposable income per capita by global standards.

โ€œThese factors have brought a remarkable increase in the number of travellers coming out of the region in recent years. In fact, since 2010, the number of travellers coming to the Seychelles from Hong Kong has more than doubled.

โ€œWe see Hong Kong as a significant driver for future tourism growth in the Seychelles, so we are positioning Air Seychelles to seize the opportunity and support this vital market.โ€

The Seychelles is a visa-free destination, meaning all visitors can receive visas on arrival. Seychellois citizens are also not required to have visas for travel to Hong Kong.

Further, Hong Kong is a potential gateway to expand the airlineโ€™s reach within the region, with convenient connections to more than 30 destinations across mainland China, Japan and Australasia.

Guests travelling between the Seychelles and Hong Kong will remain on the same aircraft and keep the same seat for both legs of the journey, allowing a seamless journey over Abu Dhabi.

By operating the flights over Abu Dhabi, Air Seychelles can also codeshare with Etihad Airways to support further traffic to and from China. This dual approach will enable the airline to capture a significant market share.

The airline has also confirmed an increase in services to Abu Dhabi, from four to seven return services per week, a key part of a larger business plan approved by the airlineโ€™s Board of Directors.

Mr Ball said: โ€œThrough our partnership with Etihad Airways, we have been able to serve a much larger network and make improvements to the business that we could not have achieved independently. We are on track to break even this year, ensuring that Air Seychelles will continue to grow and thrive for many years to come.โ€

For information and bookings in Hong Kong, phone +852 37973488 or +852 37973489.

Seychelles-Abu Dhabi-Hong Kong schedule

Flight # Departs Dept. Time Arrives Arr. Time Frequency Duration
HM86 Seychelles (SEZ) 15:30 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 20:00 Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday 4.5hrs
HM86 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 21:20 Hong Kong (HKG) 08:40 +1 Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday 7.3hrs
HM87 Hong Kong (HKG) 18:00 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 23:30 Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9.5hrs
HM87 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 02:00 Seychelles (SEZ) 06:40 Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 4.5hrs

A330-200 configuration: 18 Pearl business class seats, 236 economy class seats.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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