Air Seychelles to operate flights to Bristol via Dubai
Air Seychelles, in conjunction with Air Charter Service, has announced a series of charter flights from the southwest of the UK next year. Taking off from Bristol, passengers will be able to fly to the Indian Ocean direct for the first time, with a stop in Dubai on the way. Flights are targeted to capture the Easter and early May bank holiday traffic in 2022.
For those of us not within a stone’s throw of major airports like Heathrow or Manchester, getting out of the UK can be an adventure in itself. While some smaller airports are starting to get longer services supplied, many miss out on any meaningful connectivity beyond the short to medium-haul markets.
Located in the northern end of the UK’s Westcountry, Bristol Airport is a popular hub for holidaymakers from Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, letting travelers get moving without needing to get into London or another major hub. But with most of the major carriers there – easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, TUI – mainly operating to European destinations, the choices for more faraway adventures remain limited.
Air Seychelles is set to shake that up next year, with a new charter service to the glorious destination of the Seychelles. Operated through global aircraft charter broker Air Charter Service, in conjunction with Bristol Airport, the airline has scheduled a one-stop hop from Bristol to Mahe, to coincide with the spring bank holiday and school Easter holidays next year.
Charles Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer at Air Seychelles, commented on the service, saying, ‘’We are delighted to be operating this exciting flying programme in conjunction with Air Charter Service – one which marks our inaugural operation from Bristol Airport. Passengers will be able to fly directly to Dubai, and then continue their journey onto the Seychelles – two destinations known for sun and shopping! “We operated many flights with ACS last year as they helped our aircraft to keep on flying throughout the pandemic. We will be configuring our aircraft to provide additional comfort to the passengers and our friendly crew are looking forward to welcoming passengers on board for their flights to the Middle East and the stunning islands of the Seychelles next April and May.”
Bristolians and Westcountry residents alike will rejoice at the prospect of heading to the Indian Ocean destination of the Seychelles direct from their local airport. Air Charter Service is operating ‘a series’ of flights over the Easter holidays next year, flying on the following schedule:
The flights will be conducted using Air Seychelles’ A320neo, which offers three classes of seating onboard. The business cabin has 12 seats, configured in a 2-2 layout with a 38-inch pitch and a 10-inch recline. Every seat gets individual high-speed USB ports and power outlets in the center armrest for easy device charging, and access to seyStream, the airline’s IFE platform with movies, TV shows and games fed to passenger’s own devices.
156 economy class seats are also available, in a 3-3 configuration with a generous pitch of 29 – 30 inches. Passengers can also book the airline’s ‘economy space’ product, which sees the middle seat blocked for more personal space and privacy, making it ideal for couples traveling together.
The flights will operate via Dubai Al Maktoum, and will then head on to Mahe. Shaun Browne, Head of Airline Relations, Bristol Airport, is as excited as we are for this charter, commenting,
’This is a truly exciting project for Bristol Airport, opening up our region to new destinations is one of our primary goals. We are thrilled Air Seychelles will be offering direct flights from Bristol Airport to Dubai and the Seychelles for the first time and thank Air Charter Service for taking the initiative to offer these exciting destinations from the South West – it’s been a triumph of teamwork. We continue to work with Air Charter Service and Air Seychelles with the vision to offer other exciting destinations for the future.”
These will be the first flights to the Middle East and the Indian Ocean to operate from Bristol. Hopefully, it’s a sign of more to come in the future.
