Situated 1,000 miles from the nearest coastline, the Seychelles Islands offer an idyllic remote holiday destination perfect to relax and recharge…. but the questions is how do you get there?
Believe it or not for such a small island nation, the Seychelles are extremely well connected with a fantastic network of global carriers offering direct flights to Europe, Africa, Asia and the U.A.E, as well as further afield thanks to an extensive network of partner airlines.
To assist you with your travel plans, this weeks blog aims highlight those airlines that fly directly to and from the Seychelles as well as highlight their extensive global network so that you can find the quickest and most cost-effective route to paradise.
“INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES”
AIR SEYCHELLES – www.airseychelles.com
Air Seychelles is the national airline of the Seychelles and offers daily domestic flights throughout the archipelago as well as direct international flights to Abu Dhabi, Antananarivo, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Mauritius, Mumbai and Paris.
In recent years Air Seychelles partnered with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and in turn has entered into codeshare partnerships with other airlines that allow us to provide guests with convenient and flexible travel to hundreds of destinations around the world (view their full destination guide here).
ETIHAD AIRWAYS – www.etihad.com
As mentioned above, Air Seychelles recently partnered with Etihad Airways to become one of eight airlines who have joined together to offer passengers even more choice, with a combined network of over 350 destinations across six continents (see their detailed route map here).
EMIRATES AIRLINES – www.emirates.com
Emirates Airlines started flying to Seychelles in 2005 and currently operates twice-daily flights direct from its hub in Dubai (DXB) to Mahe.
Emirates Airlines connects to 150 destinations worldwide and boasts ninteen partner airlines including Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Alaska Airlines, Bangkok Airways, easyJet, FlyBE, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, JetBlue, Jetstar, Korean Air, Malaysian Airlines, Oman Air, Qantas, S7 Airlines, South African Airways, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways and Virgin America – see their route map for all destinations.
ETHIOPIAN AIRWAYS – www.ethiopeanairways.com
Ethiopian Airlines which is a member of the Star Alliance currently offers 4 weekly flights from ADDIS ABABA to Mahe Island in the Seychelles. From its hub at Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines serves 93 international and 20 domestic destinations – all of which can be found listed here.
KENYA AIRWAYS – www.kenya-airways.com
Kenya Airways is the longest serving international airline here in the Seychelles, having operated flights between Nairobi and the Seychelles for over 38 years. Kenya Airways currently operates four weekly direct flights from Nairobi to Mahe, departing on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. A list of Kenya Airways destinations can be found here.
SRI LANKAN AIRWAYS – www.srilankan.com
Launched in 1979, Sri Lanka’s National Carrier is an award winning airline with a solid reputation for service, comfort, safety, reliability, and punctuality. From its hub at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lankan provides convenient connections to its global route network of 94 destinations in 44 countries.
Sri Lankan Airways took over the Seychelles-Colombo route from their low-cost carrier sister airline Mihin Lanka, which had been flying the route three times a week since November 2013.
AIR AUSTRAL – www.air-austral.com
Air Austral operates two flights per week, Saint Denis, Reunion Island to Mahe Island. This French airline currently flies to destinations in Europe and Asia from its hub in Reunion (view their network here).
CONDOR – www.condor.com
Condor operates one-weekly direct flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Mahe Island, arriving every Saturday in the early morning. Condor’s route network has recently expanded to over 160 destinations worldwide through cooperation with Thomas Cook and their partner airlines. To see where Condor flies to their global network can be viewed here.
TURKISH AIRLINES – www.turkishairlines.com
As of 31st October 2016, Turkish Airlines started flying three direct flights per week between Istanbul, Turkey and Seychelles. This is another fantastic link between Seychelles, Europe and the world thanks to Turkish Airline’s fantastic partnerships with numerous global airlines.
QATAR AIRWAYS – www.qatarairways.com
Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha,the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 150 international destinations across Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Far East, South Asia, Middle East, North America, South America and Oceania from its base at Hamad International Airport, using a fleet of more than 180 aircraft.
Qatar Airways commenced daily scheduled flights to Seychelles on December 12th, 2016. Seychelles is one of 14 new destinations across Europe, Africa, the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, which Qatar Airways is adding to its international network.
“Domestic Transport Options”
AIR SEYCHELLES DOMESTIC
The domestic terminal is a two-minute walk from the international terminal, from where Air Seychelles offers more than 178 scheduled daily services between Mahé and the island of Praslin as well as private charter flights to outer islands within the Seychelles archipelago. Website:www.airseychelles.com
ZIL AIR
Zil Air offers a private luxury helicopter and aerial limo service with access to 21 licensed helipads and 7 landing strips within the Seychelles Archipelago as well as helicopter tours over Mahe. Flights set out from Zil Air’s base adjacent to the International Airport. Website: www.zilair.com
CAT COCOS
Cat Cocos offers a daily inter-island fast ferry service between the main ports of Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. The trip between Mahe and Praslin takes approximately 1 hour, and the trip between Mahe and La Digue approximately 1 hour 10 mins (direct) or 1 hr 30 mins (via Praslin). Website:www.catcocos.com