Emirates launches Seychelles services

The Emirates Airbus A330-200 offering 54 seats in Business class and 183 in Economy, along with up to 15 tonnes of cargo, landed on Mahe Island in the Seychelles at 06:45.

The Seychelles - the first new destination to join the Emirates network in 2005 - is the airline's 78th route. It also signals Emirates arrival in the fifth of the Indian Ocean islands it serves, the others being Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Java (Indonesia.)

A delegation of senior Emirates officials was at the Dubai airport to mark the departure of the first flight. Leading the delegation was Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates' Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide who was accompanied by Nabil Sultan, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations West Asia and Indian Ocean, Hamad Obaidalla, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Gulf, Middle East & Iran and Mohammed H Mattar, Senior Vice President Airport Services (Dubai). All passengers on the first flight were presented with a commemorative box of chocolates at the check-in counter.

The new service provides travellers from Europe, Middle East and the Indian sub-continent with a convenient one-stop connection to the Seychelles, via the airline's Dubai hub.

Emirates Group Chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: "This new Emirates route was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the Seychelles government. The island is an increasingly popular destination for leisure travellers, and the government's decision to allow visa-free entry for all nationalities has made it even more accessible."

The Seychelles comprise more than a hundred beautiful coral islands that offer a multitude of options for outdoor and water sport activities, as well as rejuvenating spas. It is the postcard-perfect tropical archipelago that meets and exceeds the reality check throughout its visitors' sojourns.

The Emirates network spans 13 destinations in the Middle East and 22 in Europe (including cargo-only destinations). Connecting times from most of those destinations to the Seychelles via Dubai are less than three hours. As a result, Emirates expects its service to not just serve the existing market better but also to open up a range of new leisure, business and air cargo opportunities.

The Seychelles is renowned for its tuna. Emirates SkyCargo will enable the island's exporters of fresh and frozen seafood to send their products to Middle East markets and points beyond. It will also support the local tourist industry's needs by facilitating the import of perishables and high end goods.

To boost awareness of the Seychelles and the new Emirates services, the airline has already commenced promotional activities across it global network. For India, it organised a celebrity photo shoot in the Seychelles that was covered in an exclusive travel supplement published by the country's leading newspaper, The Times of India.

In partnership with top tour operators, Emirates also recently introduced all-inclusive packages to the Seychelles with a free stopover in Dubai.

In the Middle East, Emirates Holidays conducted a series of road shows jointly with the Seychelles Tourism Marketing Authority (STMA). In addition, a new 36-page colour brochure dedicated exclusively to the Seychelles was launched in key Middle East cities including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Bahrain, Doha, Damascus, Beirut and Kuwait.

The brochure features island-hopping tours, catamaran cruises and light aircraft rides, and resort stays in all the main islands - Mahe, Praslin and La Dique.

In Europe, the airline will be organising familiarisation trips for key travel agents and news media to provide them with a first hand experience of the destination. A group of agents and press members from key European countries is expected to visit the Seychelles shortly.

Emirates flight EK705 departs from the ultra-modern Dubai International Airport every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday at 02:10 and arrives in the Seychelles at 06:45. The return flight EK706 takes off on the same days at 08:00 and arrives in Dubai at 12:30.