Transaero starts regular flights to Seychelles |09 January 2012

The airline, which operates scheduled and chartered flights to more than 99 domestic and international destinations, landed at the Seychelles International Airport on January 3, 2012 at 0711hrs and departed three hours after its landing at 1022hrs.

Transaero Airline is using its Boeing 77-200N that has the capacity to board three hundred passengers, including the crew members, for its Seychelles operations.

For its first flight to the islands, the airline touched down in Seychelles from Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport with 290 passengers, including the crew members.

Russia’s second largest airline will operate chartered direct service flight from Moscow to Seychelles every ten days until March 16, 2012.

Russia is Seychelles’ sixth main market in terms of tourism arrivals. According to the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority and local tour operators, December is normally the peak season for the arrival of the Russian charter in Seychelles.

In the past, Seychelles has had the Space Travel Airline and Atlas One Airline as some of the Russian charter flights.

The chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Alain St Ange, has said that the arrival of Transaero was timely.

“Seychelles considers Russia as an important market and the direct air access between the two countries will help open up this market. We welcome Transaero and the STB will work with them to further develop this market,” Mr St Ange said.