Starting November of this year, passengers traveling to Chennai, India, will have the possibility of doing so in one non-stop flight, with Air Seychelles. Responding to the increased number of arrivals from the Indian subcontinent and the demand from the local Indian community, Air Seychelles, has decided to launch this service, which will provide a direct air-link to India.
The national airline has recently secured landing rights with the Chennai authorities so as to be able to operate the weekly service. Air Seychelles has explained that it will operate this service on its Mahé-Singapore route. The flight will depart Mahé on Mondays and stopover in Chennai, before going on to Singapore. It will leave Singapore on Wednesdays and return to Mahé, again via Chennai. The national airline has chosen Chennai-based general sales agent, Global Aviation Services, to handle its sales in the Indian destination, which sees quite a lot of traffic to and from Seychelles.
Since many Seychellois travel to Chennai for medical and other purposes, including business transactions, and with many workers of Indian origin coming into Seychelles from and around the Chennai area, there is a sound market for servicing that route. Recent visitor arrival statistics show a 57 percent growth in the number of visitors from Asia and well over half of this comes from India, thus supporting the logic for operating a non-stop direct service to this country with which Seychelles enjoys good relations.
Also Seychelles has quite a big Indian community, which is very active especially in the business sector and which also has interests back in India. The members of this community have long been awaiting such a direct flight to and from their homeland, which will facilitate their business deals, as well as make family visits easier.
Other than its well-known medical and business facilities, Chennai, India’s fourth largest city, is often referred to as the cultural capital of India, as it is soaked in tradition and long heritage dating well over 350 years ago. With the Indian tourism industry poised for an upward surge, Chennai, well situated by the Bay of Bengal, has always been and will undoubtedly remain a major attraction in the Indian package.
Currently, most passengers from India come to Seychelles on other airlines, which entails a change of planes and long transit periods. Thus, in operating flights to and from Chennai, Air Seychelles will not only be filling a void, but it will also be offering a better option to clients who have business interests both in India and locally. As the flight operates on the Singapore route, it brings an additional bonus, for a swifter and direct link for passengers with multiple destinations. The businessman who needs to attend to matters in Singapore and wants to include a Chennai stopover for medical purposes, all in a one week trip, can easily do this with the new service. This way the passenger avoids the hassle of dealing with different airlines, thus minimizing the risk of lost baggage and other mishaps associated with air travel.
In adding on Chennai to its destinations folio, the national airline is also widening the range of products it offers its clients and is strengthening its market operations for future developments.
