Seychelles airline suspends flights

JUST four months after they started flying out of Durban, Air Seychelles has suspended its route leading to the tourist paradise.

In a statement released by Air Seychelles yesterday, the airline said the suspension would come into effect from July 27.

Roy Kinnear, the Air Seychelle chief executive, said: “We have taken the tough decision to discontinue our Durban route as the volume of inbound traffic has fallen short of our expectations. The performance of the twice-weekly operation and its contribution to inbound tourism in the Seychelles did not meet expectations.”

Durban would continue to be served by Air Seychelles’ codeshare partner, SAA, with flights via Johannesburg. People booked on flights to and from Durban’s King Shaka International Airport after July 27 will be rerouted on Air Seychelles’ Johannesburg flights.

Ambassador Maurice, Loustau-Lalanne, Seychelles minister for tourism, civil aviation, ports and marine, said: “In the fast-moving aviation industry, a successful airline has to adapt to changing market conditions. Tourism is the main engine of the Seychelles economy and the Durban service did not produce the expected results in terms of supporting growth of the industry.

“Our flag carrier will continue to fly to Johannesburg five times a week to ensure our people, businesses and governments remain well-connected.”