After an absence of 14 years, British Airways (BA) landed at the Seychelles International Airport yesterday morning. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down at around 6.10am with 214 passengers, who were welcomed to our shores by the Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Maurice Loustau-Lalanne and British Airways officials. There was also live entertainment from a music band and traditional Creole attire on the apron and the passengers received hats made from coconut leaves as a token from the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB). Also present to greet the passengers and the crew members of the British Airways were the British high Commissioner Caron Röhsler, principal secretary for civil aviation, ports and marine Garry Albert, principal secretary for tourism Anne Lafortune, chief executive (CEO) of the STB Sherin Francis, CEO of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) Gilbert Faure and former staff of British Airways. Minister Loustau-Lalanne said it was the dream of many to see the return of one of the most popular airlines in Seychelles. The return of British Airways after 14 long years of absence is a very significant development. It confirms your trust and confidence in our tourism industry The British market recorded a growth of 14% last year to over 21000 travellers and the return of British Airways makes a new target of 25,000 visitors achievable. Non-stop services from Heathrow Terminal 5 will serve as a beneficial hub and will also give a boost to other emerging markets to mainly the USA and Canada, he said.
HC Röhsler said the return of BA to Seychelles is indeed an exciting development for our two countries. We saw significant increase in the number of British tourists coming to Seychelles last year and the prospect of flying from London brings Seychelles psychologically closer: for Seychellois diaspora in the UK, for the Brits living and working here and of course the British holiday makers, she said. The BA executive vice-president for sales Richard Tams announced that the twice weekly services will be moving from a seasonal service to year-round service. Tracing back our history Mr Tams said the British Airways and Seychelles already share a history dating back to 1971 when the first BOAC flight departed for this archipelago with 100 passengers on board but back then the flight stopped in Nairobi before landing in Seychelles. Customers choosing to travel directly with British Airways from the Seychelles will also benefit from our extensive network, offering customers connections to Europe and the rest of the World, he said. STB CEO Sherin Francis also welcomed news that British Airways will be offering year-round services to Seychelles. It is important to note that the STB office in the UK is already working with British Airways to develop a marketing strategy as part of a two-year agreement to market and promote Seychelles as a destination and support British Airways non-stop, twice-weekly flights to the destination. The agreement was signed shortly after BA announced its return to Seychelles. The UK market is a year round market, and we must also not forget that we have a Seychellois diaspora living in the UK who travel year round especially during the winter period and Christmas holidays. Locally, the Seychellois population is also well-travelled and with the historic link with the UK there would be a lot of outbound travel from Seychelles. So it s good news that this will be a year round service and I am confident that the flights will be a success, said Mrs Francis. Following the speeches there was a ceremonial cake cutting by the minister, HC Röhsler and Mr Tams.
Mr Tams also presented the minister with a model of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft and Minister Loustau-Lalanne presented Mr Tams with a book of Seychelles and a wooden tortoise sculpture. Aside of the tourism authorities and tourism trade another group of people present at the airport to witness BA s return to Seychelles was a group of six former Seychellois staff who worked for several years for British Airways before the flights stopped in 2004. It was a historic and emotional moment for Doris Johnston, Rosemarie Hoareau, Celine Rahemtulla, Georges Michel, Noellie Alexander and Vicky Lanza. Noellie Alexander was the first person to join the British Airways in 1971, she remained a staff for 10 years. She worked at the town office but part of her duties was to be present at the airport on the days the flight would arrive in Seychelles. She recalls that at that time, being a British Airways staff was a privilege. Vicky Lanza joined the then British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) six months after its initial arrival, early in 1972, clocking 35 years with the company. Starting off as a secretary, she went up the ladder thanks to training opportunities and her personal efforts. Mrs Lanza became the manager for Seychelles in 1988 and 10 years later, she was relocated to the British Airways offices in Mauritius, where she served as the commercial Indian Ocean manager, responsible for Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion and Madagascar. When British Airways initially arrived, they invested in Seychelles. We started with two staff and we grew to have 22 staff, all locals. British Airways never ceased to give us training, and the standard of service that was achieved was due to that training. We had such high standards, and this was very important, she said. British Airways new twice-weekly flights to Seychelles will depart London Heathrow s Terminal 5 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, returning on Thursdays and Sundays.