Positive results for Air Seychelles

Air Seychelles has reported its fourth year of profitability in a row, with net profits of USD2.1 million in 2015, on revenues of USD 105.4 million. Audited by KPMG, these financial statements also reflect growth in passenger traffic and strong cargo volumes. A total of 522,873 passengers travelled with the airline in 2015, 22 per cent more than in 2014. Air Seychelles passenger carrying capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs), increased by 7 per cent to 1.7 billion by the end of 2015. Cargo services continue to be a major area of growth for Air Seychelles, with the airline carrying 4,415 tonnes of freight, primarily driven by wide body operations on Johannesburg and Paris routes. Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: “We are proud to have been able to deliver on our mandate, which was to achieve strong growth, to become the region’s leading carrier and, most importantly, to do so as a commercially viable and profitable enterprise, while remaining one of the key drivers of economic growth in Seychelles.” Since July 2015 the airline has undertaken a number of initiatives outlined in its turnaround plan to transform and bring efficiencies into the national carrier and turn it into a profitable, stable, reliable and strong airline to serve Seychelles and the broader Indian Ocean region. The airline brought onto its own registry three new generation Airbus aircraft, with two A320s and one A330 added to the fleet. As a result, it was able to tap into new markets and grow the number of frequencies in its regional network. During 2015, Air Seychelles network of codeshare destinations rose from 30 to 61, through partners including airberlin, Alitalia, Etihad Airways, Jet Airways, NIKI, South African Airways and Air France. Air Seychelles’ growth has created a significant number of new jobs for Seychellois nationals.