Air Seychelles outlines future plans to staff |20 March 2012

Speaking at a company-wide meeting, the airline’s chief executive Cramer Ball said the robust plan to re-engineer the business would help return the airline to profitability over the next two years.

He said the plan would involve significant change, and that a first step was to ensure the company was the right size and shape for the future.

This would see the airline reduce up to 250 positions over time, through natural attrition, redeployment, relocation and redundancies, with the redundancies managed on a voluntary basis where possible.

Mr Ball said the airline would work closely with all affected staff who would be given time to assess their options during a six-week consultation period.

Group meetings with staff from across the business have already started to provide details of the options available and answer questions.

Mr Ball said training was also a key element of the airline’s people strategy, with the creation of career opportunities for pilots, cabin crew and technical engineers who would be offered training at partner Etihad Airways’ state-of-the-art facilities in Abu Dhabi.

“Young Seychellois who want a career in the aviation industry will also be offered training scholarships as cadet pilots, cadet engineers and graduate managers,” Mr Ball said.

He said there were nearly 300 positions open within Etihad Airways across all departments at both managerial and non-managerial levels, which Air Seychelles staff could apply for, and Etihad Airways would hold recruitment open days in the Seychelles over the coming weeks.

“Our redeployment and staff redevelopment plan is an essential component to securing the future of Air Seychelles.

“If we work together, we can transform Air Seychelles, re-energise the brand and offer a quality service, based on unique Creole warmth,” Mr Ball said.