Air Seychelles takes delivery of second Airbus A330 as countdown begins to new Düsseldorf flights

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has continued the development of its jet fleet by taking delivery of its second Airbus A330 aircraft today.

Named “Vallée de Mai” after the famous UNESCO-listed nature reserve in Seychelles and operated by Seychellois flight deck crew, female Captain Nicole Chang Leng and First Officer – Ronny Morel,  the aircraft touched down on the island of Mahé at 13:10h, where it was welcomed home by a water-cannon salute and a party of government, airline and travel trade representatives led by Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, Roy Kinnear and Chairman of Air Seychelles, Jean Weeling-Lee.

Accommodating 18 guests in business class and 236 in economy class, the A330 will shortly be deployed on the carrier’s new twice-weekly flights to Düsseldorf, set to commence 30 March, as well as on existing services to Paris and selected flights to Johannesburg, Mauritius and Mumbai.

Air Seychelles now operates a fleet of four Airbus jets, including two A330-200 series aircraft and two single-aisle A320 aircraft.

Jean Weeling-Lee, Chairman of Air Seychelles, said: “The delivery of a new aircraft is always a special moment for an airline, and today is no exception. With a second A330, our national carrier will now be able to enter the German market and increase capacity on other routes, supporting the growth of inbound tourism and by extension the economic development of Seychelles. ‘Vallée de Mai’ will enable us to strengthen our flight operations and ensure the continued long-term and sustainable growth of the business.”

Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: “The arrival of ‘Vallée de Mai’ is the latest milestone in the development of Air Seychelles. Its colourful tail will soon be seen even more around the world, increasing our brand presence in important markets in Europe and the Indian Ocean, and promoting awareness of the beautiful Seychelles archipelago itself. With our award-winning service and the superior comfort of our A330 cabins, we are confident it will be very well received by both business and leisure travellers.”

The new aircraft features a business class configuration of 18 premium leather seats that extend into fully-flat beds and have a generous 82-inch seat pitch, as well as a privacy shell for added comfort and a personal 10.5 inch TV screen with on-demand films, TV shows and music.

Guests travelling in economy class can look forward to 236 wide, ergonomically-designed cradle seats that have an industry-leading seat pitch of up to 33 inches, as well as in-seat inflight entertainment systems with a wide range of content.

Air Seychelles is gearing up for a major network expansion that will see an upgrade of its Paris service from three to four-per-week on 28 March, as well twice-per-week route launches to the German city of Düsseldorf and the South African city of Durban on 30 March.