As part of the new procedure, prior to boarding the Twin Otter aircraft, the Guest Service Agent on duty will invite all guests to proceed to the boarding counter within the domestic departure terminal to view a dedicated onboard safety video briefing.

In addition, guests will also be advised to follow specific guidelines when proceeding to and from the domestic terminal on the ramp to the Twin Otter aircraft for boarding.

Vania Larue, Head of Ground Operations said: “Safety remains our top priority in everything that we do and as such, it is important for the airline to strengthen its standard operating procedures in key areas of the business as needed.

“As such, as part of our safety policy for domestic travel, we are reinforcing the importance of the safety for our guests on board the flight through our safety video prior to boarding, which guest will be advised to watch so as to be aware of the safety measures to be implemented in any eventuality.

“It is important to note that as an airline we also comply with the international aviation safety regulations and standards of operations, therefore it is necessary that we continue to follow these requirements so as to ensure that as a business we remain on par with the practice being implemented globally.”

The new frequency to be operated on Sundays by the airline’s Airbus A320 aircraft will provide better network access to both business and leisure passengers travelling to Mumbai or the Seychelles and beyond.

To meet the increasing demand from the market and to provide guests more travel options, the flight schedule have been carefully timed with convenient early morning arrivals including departures from Mumbai to allow seamless connection in less than three hours to Johannesburg and Mauritius with Air Seychelles via the Seychelles.

Guests travelling from Mumbai to the Seychelles between July and October 2019 can also combined their trip to paradise with a quick getaway to the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, following the announcement of the seasonal flights set to commence during the upcoming summer holidays.

Charles Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer of Air Seychelles said: “Air Seychelles has been serving the Indian market for over five years now since the launch of this route in 2014.

“Growing our presence in India forms part of the airline’s strategy to increase its network growth across the Indian Ocean by providing direct air access to the Seychelles archipelago and beyond.

“Expanding our operation in Mumbai will not only build on the existing trade and tourism relationship between the two countries, but it will also provide considerable opportunity for Air Seychelles to increase its    business by tapping into areas where there is the demand.

“We believe that the additional 252 seats provided on this route will also be great news to the Indian community working and living in the Seychelles similarly to the Seychellois residents travelling for leisure, business or for medical purposes to the west coast.”

Air Seychelles currently has active codeshare agreement with Air India to eight cities across India including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Trivandrum including international services between Mumbai and Bangkok. The national airline also codeshares’ with Air India on the Mumbai, Seychelles and Johannesburg route. In 2015, Air Seychelles in addition joined India’s premier international airline Jet Airways, in a codeshare partnership to offer flights to the Seychelles from nine Indian cities.

The new Sunday flight is now on sale and travelers are invited to book their tickets via airseychelles.com, visit the airlines’ sales offices located in both Mahe and Praslin or contact the Air Seychelles Call Centre on 4391000.

The schedule for flights between Seychelles and Mumbai as from 12 May, 2019:

Selby Remy, the chief executive of the authority, was quoted as saying that an assessment needs to be done first in order to know the feasibility and the real cost of maintenance.

“We have told the Cabinet that we will start with this tentative list of trails and conduct an assessment of all those trails and then, depending on the decisions, these will be endorsed as the official list of trails,” said Remy.

He added that there is actually no official list of trails available and hence everyone, including those in the tourism industry, has their own idea of what is a trail.

“If we cannot establish a list of trails that need to be managed we will have a real problem since some of what certain people consider as trails are just old footpaths but people are using them and they are slowly gaining the status of trails,” Remy said.

The authority currently manages nine trails — Trois Frères, Copolia, Anse Major, Mare aux Cochons, Dan Gala, Morne Blanc, Salazie, Casse Dent and Glacis Noire on Praslin — and oversees several others. It costs the authority $221,000 (SCR3 million) to manage these trails.

“Nature trails bring a lot of economic value for the country. A lot of private businesses are getting revenue through nature trails by bringing tourists to these places. Hence, the more nature trails that are identified to be maintained, the more enticing it will be for holidaymakers,” said Remy.

The islands of Seychelles in the western Indian Ocean are well-known for their tropical beauty. While many visitors prefer to enjoy the sun and white sandy beaches, the more adventurous enjoy discovering the environment and wilder side of the islands which they can experience on the nature trails.

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