Air Seychelles and airberlin sign historic codeshare accord |15 February 2013

Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, chief executive of airberlin, and Air Seychelles’ chief executive Cramer Ball signed the codeshare agreement.

Initially, the agreement, which comes into effect immediately, will see Air Seychelles’ HM code placed on four of airberlin’s daily return services between Abu Dhabi and Berlin, Düsseldorf complementing the island carrier’s existing 26 weekly codeshare connections with Etihad Airways to Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf.

Airberlin will initially place its AB code on four of Air Seychelles’ weekly return flights to Abu Dhabi from Seychelles, complementing the German carrier’s existing four codeshare connections to Seychelles with Etihad Airways providing passengers a daily connection from Germany to Mahé.

Air Seychelles and airberlin are both members of the Etihad Airways strategic equity alliance, with the Abu Dhabi-based airline holding a 40% stake in the island carrier and 29.21% stake in Germany’s second largest airline.

The new codeshare arrangement will give European travellers immediate access to a total of 38 flights a week to Seychelles from four German hubs (Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich) on the combined airberlin, Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways network. 

The total number of flights a week between Germany and Seychelles will leap to 54 flights a week when the new Etihad Airways and Air Seychelles schedules take effect from March 24.

The partnership between airberlin and Air Seychelles allows both companies’ passengers to book and travel with just one ticket for their entire journey via Abu Dhabi.

“More than 28,000 German tourists visited Seychelles in 2012, a 20% increase over 2011. Germany is among our islands’ fastest growing markets so these new air links are vital to our tourism sector, Seychelles’ most important industry,” said Mr Ball.

“The double-digit growth we are seeing from our new tourist markets supports our government’s vision for a national airline that connects Seychelles to key markets while delivering world-class service with unique Creole warmth.

“We are confident the new connections and seamless flight experience will appeal to German travellers and ultimately deliver a new source of revenue, continuing Air Seychelles’ progress toward sustainable profitability in 2013 and beyond.

“Our partnership with our 40% shareholder, Etihad Airways, is driving new growth as we capitalise not only on economies of scale, but also their relationships with other airlines. We can work together to identify partners which will optimally expand the reach of Air Seychelles across the globe, airberlin being a prime example,” noted Mr Ball.

"The codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles is equally important for airberlin in a number of ways. Firstly, we are able to make our route network even more attractive by enhancing the number of weekly codeshare connections to Seychelles,” said Mr Prock-Schauer.

“Secondly, the new agreement once again illustrates the enormous potential that the partnership with Etihad Airways offers in terms of the joint marketing of the route network and the targeted use of synergies across all areas," he added.  
 
Subject to regulatory approval, the airlines plan to expand the scope of the agreement to include more destinations on their respective networks and implement frequent flyer program reciprocity.

Tickets can be purchased online via airseychelles.com or airberlin.com. Alternatively, guests can buy tickets by calling Air Seychelles’ Call Centre at +248 4 38 10 13 or airberlin’s Service Centre at +49 30/3434 34 (local rates apply) and through the airlines’ sales offices or a travel agent.

Air Seychelles was established in 1978 and began long-haul service in 1983. The airline currently offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg and Mauritius, operated by its new A330-200 aircraft.

It also offers more than 160 domestic scheduled flights a week throughout the archipelago, as well as domestic charter services. 

As the national airline of Seychelles, Air Seychelles is a pillar of tourism, the island nation’s strongest and growing economic sector. The airline maintains a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and 40% stakeholder.

Airberlin is one of Europe’s leading airlines and flies to 150 destinations in 40 countries. The second largest airline in Germany carried more than 33 million passengers in 2012.

It offers a global route network through its strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, which is a 29.21% stakeholder, and membership in the oneworld® airline alliance. The airline with the award-winning service operates codeshare flights worldwide with 14 airlines. The fleet has an average age of five years and is among the most modern and eco-efficient in Europe.