Seychelles in Etihad and Hainan Airlines Agreement

Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) – 7 March 2012 – Alain St.Ange, the CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, has confirmed to the press in Berlin where he is attending ITB 2012, that Seychelles welcomes the news about the codeshare agreement between Etihad Airways and China’s Hainan Airlines.

“Seychelles has been working hard to attract its fair share of the Chinese market ever since the islands’ President, Mr. James Michel, led his first working visit to China some two years ago. This has been followed by another couple visits with the Seychelles Tourism Board as part of the Presidential delegation. Finally, towards the end of 2011, we started seeing the returns from these working visits with groups of Chinese holidaymakers landing in Seychelles,” Alain St.Ange said.

Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways entered a partnership agreement late last year, and this codeshare agreement between Etihad Airways and China’s Hainan Airline will open Air Seychelles and Seychelles to the Chinese market, especially with flights covering Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai in China and Khartoum International Airport in the Sudan. Air Seychelles is expected to announce new flights to Abu Dhabi next week and these new flights will connect with Etihad from their world-wide services.

“The agreement with Hainan Airlines expands our network reach into China and gives us immediate access to the millions of potential Chinese travelers to the Middle East and beyond to Africa,” commented the President and CEO of Etihad, James Hogan.

This is Etihad’s first codeshare with a Chinese carrier.

Media Contact:
Alain St.Ange
CEO, Seychelles Tourism Board
Email: alain.s@seychelles.com