Business & Money | Sunday 21 June, 2015 11:36 am |

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has been recognised with three highly-prized accolades at this year’s World Travel Awards (WTA), including the title of ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline’, at a prestigious event in Seychelles.

For the second consecutive year, Air Seychelles was also awarded ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline - Business Class’ and ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Cabin Crew’.

The annual World Travel Awards event was first held in 1993 to recognise the very best travel and tourism organisations in the world, with the winners being decided through a global voting system by more than 500,000 travel professionals and high-end tourism consumers from 171 countries.

The ceremony for the Indian Ocean region was held yesterday, Saturday 20 June, on Mahé, the main island of the Seychelles archipelago and the hub from which Air Seychelles operates.

Joël Morgan, Seychelles Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport and Chairman of Air Seychelles, said: “On behalf of the Government of Seychelles I congratulate the team for winning three of the highest accolades at the Indian Ocean World Travel Awards and further strengthening the reputation of Air Seychelles as a leading airline.

“The people of Seychelles can be justifiably proud of Air Seychelles, its growth and achievements and the crucial contribution that it is making every day to the economy of Seychelles through facilitating growth in our tourism and trade.

“It is fitting that this year the award ceremony was held in Seychelles and that in less than two weeks on 1 July, our flag-carrier will further promote our beautiful archipelago as it commences a three times a week non-stop Paris service.”


Manoj Papa, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: “Winning three World Travel Awards was a proud moment for Air Seychelles and validates that the business model is working and the investment in the airline is sound. By focusing on people, product and partnerships we are overcoming the challenges faced by the airline in the past few years.

“Being named Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline showed unequivocally that we are putting our guests and our people first. This is a people business and we know that with well trained and supported people, we can deliver the best customer experience.

“We are innovative in our product development and know the importance of maintaining our quality standards,” Mr Papa said.

“Partnerships are where we have excelled. Through our codeshare partners and Etihad Airways Partners, we are developing a network with global reach, seamless connections and reciprocal flight benefits. There is no doubt that our improved access through our partnerships to world-class training and operational synergies, is making Air Seychelles a stronger and more competitive airline.

“These awards come at an exciting time in the journey of Air Seychelles and I am extremely proud of the Air Seychelles’ team which works hard and smart,” Mr Papa said.

World Travel Awards President, Graham Cooke, said: “The World Travel Awards has been recognising and rewarding industry excellence for over 20 years. The bold steps which Air Seychelles has taken to develop the airline and reinvent its product and service offering have been remarkable.

“In a short space of time, Air Seychelles has risen to be the leading airline of the Indian Ocean, connecting more passengers and serving more destinations, all with its unmistakeably Creole signature.

“We are delighted to present Air Seychelles with these three awards, and wish it every success for the future.”


Air Seychelles’ success at the World Travel Awards comes in a year of significant growth for the airline.

Since January this year, Air Seychelles has signed codeshare agreements with Air Madagascar and Jet Airways, and a Memorandum of Understanding with Air France. It has also enhanced weekly frequencies of regional services to Antananarivo, Mumbai and Mauritius, and is in the final run-up to launching a thrice-weekly nonstop service to Paris Charles de Gaulle.

In addition, the carrier has recently transferred its first Airbus aircraft to the Seychelles civil aircraft register, opening further growth opportunities, and is negotiating charter flights to and from China, having already operated three additional flights between Beijing and Seychelles via Abu Dhabi in February 2015.

About Air Seychelles
Air Seychelles was established in 1978 and began long-haul service in 1983. The airline currently offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, Antananarivo, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Mauritius, Mumbai and Paris. Air Seychelles also offers more than 200 domestic scheduled flights a week throughout the archipelago, including domestic charter services. As the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, Air Seychelles is a pillar of tourism, the island nation’s strongest and growing economic sector. The airline maintains a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and 40 per cent stakeholder. For more information, please visit: www.airseychelles.com