Air Seychelles to start scheduled flights to Kazakhstan in December
Last October, Seychelles signed a landmark bilateral air services agreement with Kazakhstan. The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the 41st ICAO Assembly, allows designated airlines, including Air Seychelles, to operate direct flights between the two countries.
Air Seychelles is expected to start flying to Kazakhstan on 26 December. According to the initial plan, the carrier will offer 1 weekly flight (additional flights are planned during the festive season) between Mahé (Seychelles) and Almaty, subject to the approval of the Kazakh government. This will be via Abu Dhabi, while the flagship does not yet have traffic rights to the UAE capital.
The service will be operated by 168-seat Airbus A320neo aircraft (12 in business class and 156 in economy). Once operational, this will be the first route linking Kazakhstan to Africa.
Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country. Rapid growth, fuelled by structural reforms and foreign direct investment, has transformed the country into an upper-middle income economy. Outbound traffic volumes to the Indian Ocean from Kazakhstan have increased fivefold in the last two years. Kazakhstan is a land of surprises and we are delighted that citizens of both countries can now explore each other's attractions. Kazakhstan has three UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites and two UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites, and is home to 120 ethnic groups. Kazakhstan has already launched a travel visa waiver for Seychellois to facilitate holidays," said Seychelles Transport Minister Antony Derjacques.
Almaty, which Air Seychelles had already served by charter flight in August 2021, will be Air Seychelles' fifth international route. The carrier, which has just come out of interim administration, already flies to Port Louis (Mauritius), Johannesburg (South Africa), Lyon (France), Tel Aviv (Israel) and Mumbai (India).
The Seychelles flagship, based at Mahé International Airport, serves this network with a fleet of seven aircraft (two Airbus A320neo and five Dash 6), with an average age of 6.7 years.
