Air Seychelles announces strategic two year business plan for sustainable growth

The plan will see Air Seychelles renew its fleet, take advantage of equity partner Etihad Airways' know how and excellent reputation as a world class airline as well as its extensive global route network, maximise efficiencies, boost sales opportunities and launch a scholarship training program for Seychellois.

The plan was announced subsequent to the first meeting of the new Air Seychelles Board of Directors following the purchase by Etihad Airways of a 40% share in January. Present for the first time at an Air Seychelles Board meeting were three Board members from Etihad Airways.

The new Board of Air Seychelles comprises:

- Minister Joel Morgan, Minister Home Affairs and Transport, as Chairperson
- Mr Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer Etihad Airways as Vice Chairperson

Directors from Government of Seychelles:

- Mr Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs
- Mr Steve Fanny, Principal Secretary for Finance
- Mr Jean Weeling Lee, Managing Director Corvina,

Directors from Etihad Airways:

- Mr Duncan Naysmith, Vice President Financial Reporting
- Mr Bassam A Al Mosa, Vice President Corporate Investments and Subsidiaries

Highlights of the plan include:

- The introduction of two Airbus A330-200 aircraft
- The launch of services to Beijing in early 2013, offering through connections to Johannesburg via the Seychelles
- Increased frequencies to key destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Mauritius and Johannesburg
- Closer cooperation with Etihad Airways to identify economies of scale and synergies in staff training, procurement and product development
- Extended codeshare operations with Etihad Airways to connect the Seychelles, through Abu Dhabi, with a global network of passenger and cargo destinations

In coming months, Air Seychelles staff members such as pilots, cabin crew and engineers will have the opportunity to undergo training courses at the state-of-the-art Etihad Airways Training Academy in Abu Dhabi.

Considerable focus will be placed on leveraging Etihad Airways' expertise in strengthening Air Seychelles' overall guest experience and service delivery standards.

A scholarship program for Seychellois will also be launched, which will see graduates, cadet pilots and trainee engineers take advantage of the world-class facilities at Etihad Airways' headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Increased codesharing with Etihad Airways will open up a potential network of 73 passenger destinations in 49 countries, connecting the Seychelles with the world.

Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said, "Air Seychelles is a strong business proposition and Etihad Airways will do everything we can to ensure it achieves sustainable growth while offering passengers best in class service."

Hogan said, "When we partnered with Air Seychelles we made a commitment to support Air Seychelles' quest to emerge as a viable airline offering world class service commensurate with that being offered by Etihad Airways. The business plan we presented is the tangible result of that commitment."

He said, "It makes strong commercial sense for us to work together on issues where cooperation is possible. The resulting synergies will bring about significant efficiency benefits for both Etihad Airways and Air Seychelles."

"Etihad Airways has already demonstrated how partnership between airlines can be mutually beneficial through our relationship with airberlin. As a result of that partnership, we expect to see the number of European visitors to the Seychelles rise considerably," he added.

Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, Cramer Ball, said, "We have worked hard to identify areas in which Air Seychelles can improve operations and cut costs. This plan is a clearly laid out working document that will see us not only grow quickly, but will establish us as the carrier of choice in the Indian Ocean region and beyond."

"We are delighted to be able work closely with Etihad Airways to achieve scale quickly where previously we could not and to maximise efficiencies. These are exciting times for Air Seychelles," he concluded.