President James Michel, today welcomed the Air Seychelles' new Airbus A320 aircraft at a special ceremony held at Seychelles International Airport, this morning.

Greeted by a traditional water cannon salute upon arrival, the aircraft, named 'Amirantes', in honour of a group of coral islands discovered in the Seychelles archipelago in the 16th century then taxied in front of the Seychelles International Airport.

Former President, Sir James Mancham, Vice President Danny Faure, Cabinet ministers, government officials, diplomats, and representatives of tourism bodies and civil aviation sectors were present for the occasion.

The President cut a ceremonial ribbon to welcome the Airbus A320 aircraft, and then proceed to tour the aircraft in the company of Vice President Danny Faure, Seychelles Minister for Home Affairs and Transport and Air Seychelles Board Chairman, Joël Morgan, and Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles,  Manoj Papa.

In an interview with the local media, President Michel said that he is pleased with the arrival of the aircraft as it  will bring more connectivity with the Indian Ocean region as well as the world at large.
He commended the staff of Air Seychelles for bringing about such an achievement, one that he said that the Seychelles nation would be proud of.

The President pointed out that due to the new flights of Air Seychelles, Seychelles is becoming a hub in the Indian Ocean.

"Air Seychelles is becoming the best airline in the Indian Ocean, where it is flying to Madagascar, Tanzania, Mauritius, Mumbai and soon after agreements are signed, to the Comoros, which automatically makes it the first airline in the region.  The arrival of this new Airbus, represents a sense of pride for our country and for the people of Seychelles. But moreover, it represents a sense of pride for the people that work with the airline, that is, our own Seychellois pilots and crew. I would like to congratulate them for making our airline a success and for what they will continue to do in the future to ensure that our airline remains a success and continue to grow in the future," said Mr. Michel.

He added;  "Such achievements show us that when we have good training, good attitudes and we do things the right way, Seychellois can excel in what they do. I believe that everyone have seen that Air Seychelles in partnership with the Etihad Airways, has smarten our crew, pilots and captains respectively, which gives us all a sense of pride when we board our airline, appreciating the good service they give us. The arrival of this new airbus once again shows the government's' wisdom to enter in partnership with the Etihad Airways".

Minister Morgan, who is also Chairman of Air Seychelles, said, "This is a remarkable day for Air Seychelles and our entire island nation..with this new aircraft we are going to super charge our regional operations and to connecting thread to the Indian Ocean and benefit system. Watching the A320 descend on Mahé with our bold livery on its tail fin was a proud moment for all of us. It is the third Airbus to join our fleet in as many years, and I am thrilled by the opportunities it brings for our national carrier, as well as for the wider economy and the people of Seychelles.

"It will connect our archipelago to important new markets in the Indian Ocean, East Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, channelling new sources of trade and tourism through and beyond Seychelles, as well as improving regional air connectivity."

The single-aisle A320 shares the same cockpit design and several operational commonalities as its wide-bodied variant, the A330-200, allowing Air Seychelles to realize significant cost savings by utilizing the same award-winning cabin crew, pilots and engineers across both aircraft types.

The aircraft has a two-cabin configuration comprising 16 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy Class.