‘Fifth freedom flight to Qatar Airways will have dire consequences on local airlines,’ says Capt. Marie |12 April 2021

Captain Robert Marie

Recently in March, following his state visit to the Gulf country of Qatar, President Wavel Ramkalawan announced that Seychelles is considering granting the fifth freedom right to Qatar Airways.

This announcement shocked many especially those in aviation, although an even larger segment of the population, unfamiliar with the aviation sector, did not understand the implications behind such an announcement, or even what it meant.

Brought up in the National Assembly in recent weeks, a number of people have wondered what the fifth freedom right is all about.

Fifth freedom flights carry passengers between two countries that are different from the home base of the airline operating the flight. These types of routes are allowed as long as the flight begins or ends in the airline's home country.

These are not to be confused with second freedom flights, which allow an airline the right to stop for maintenance or fuel without disembarking passengers or cargo.

A fifth freedom flight could see a carrier flying, for instance, from Qatar to Seychelles and onward to South Africa, where tickets can be sold for any sector.

Captain Robert Marie, who is a trained pilot and the proprietor of Seychelles Airways, which is yet to make its first flight, gave his opinions and explanations on the subject in an interview with Seychelles NATION on Friday, observing that the decision will have dire consequences on our local airlines.

“Fifth freedom flights can be an opportunity to get a better experience out of comparable or even cheaper airfare on the same route. These routes tend to be flown by much nicer and bigger planes than local airlines might offer, since these routes are usually extensions of another long-haul flight,” noted Captain Marie.

He added that compared to Air Seychelles, international carriers operating a fifth freedom flight could offer a much better cabin experience, with better food and much more comfortable seats.

“These flights are also likely to have seats that can be purchased with frequent flier miles, and it can pay off to know which airlines fly them. For these reasons, fifth freedom flights can be the source of much controversy for some airline executives looking to protect their own home markets, but travellers almost always stand to benefit.”

Air Seychelles and other potential local carriers would not be the only airlines affected if Qatar Airways were to be granted such a right, continued Captain Marie.

Other airlines serving the Seychelles route will also be at a disadvantage and might suffer losses which could potentially create an issue for Seychelles.

“If a tourist is coming to Seychelles and uses that Qatar flight, it will allow them to see two countries for the price of one, so instead of spending their entire holiday in Seychelles they will have the opportunity to go to another country and we will lose money,” said Captain Marie.

Captain Marie explained that when this happens, Air Seychelles flights will be reduced as clients will have a better package and our local airline would not be able to compete in any way possible because we don't have what it takes to compete with a luxury brand offering a better package.

“What will happen next is that Air Seychelles and other local airlines such as the Seychelles Airways will have to reduce its network and when that happens they will have an excess of crew who will have to be laid off which will in turn affect the economy,” he added.

As someone who understands aviation, Captain Marie said that once the fifth freedom right is given it is difficult to rescind it and in the long run it will affect us.

Air Seychelles declined to make a statement on the matter, stating it will not be providing any comments at the moment.

Christophe Zialor