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Air Seychelles has for the first time ever made history by operating into the capital of New South Wales and one of Australia’s largest cities, Sydney, as part of a special charter conducted yesterday.

The A320neo jetliner ‘Pti Merl Dezil’ which flew from Maldives to Australia carrying a group of 38 players from the Australian Indian Premier Cricket League, successfully landed at the Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport at about 7.30am (local time in Sydney) under the command of Captain Randy Francois and Julius Nancy.

The players who were looked after by Cabin Manager Jacques Tirant, Cabin Senior Kethra Quatre as well as Flight Attendant Nelly Fostel and Vigel Rosette, had been staying in the Maldives following the suspension of their tournament in India earlier this month, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Remco Althuis, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles said: “This remarkable achievement clearly demonstrates the capabilities of our company, the hard work, agility and perseverance of our team, who continues to push boundaries during this unprecedented operational environment with great determination. I am extremely proud of the Air Seychelles team!”

The airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Charles Johnson, added: “It has been an honour to work with Air Partner Middle East and Cricket Australia to bring home the Australian Cricket team after their tour in India.

“While we are a small airline, we have big wings, capable of achieving heights and destinations beyond our usual network. It is also clear that sporting teams and charter clients around the world trust in Air Seychelles to deliver their VIP guests safely at their destination.”

Over the past months, Air Seychelles has also operated charter flights from Pakistan carrying the South African national cricket team home following their test match series in Karachi, including a special flight from Antananarivo to Addis Ababa for the Madagascar’s national football team CAN2022 qualifications.

About Air Seychelles

The Seychelles’ national carrier has been flying for over 45 years. Wholly owned by the Government of Seychelles, the carrier operates regionally from its home in Mahe to Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Mauritius, and Colombo with state- of-the-art Airbus A320NEOs. Domestically, the carrier operates up to 30 roundtrips a day to Praslin, the second largest island in the archipelago, along with various charters to other islands on its twin-otter fleet.

In 2023, Air Seychelles was awarded the coveted titles of ‘World’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean’, at the 30th edition of the World Travel Awards as well as, ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline Economy Class’ and ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline Brand’

 

Information contained in this press release is accurate at the time of publication.