Resumption of Aeroflot flights to Seychelles on cards

August 4, 2022

The proposed plan of Aeroflot to resume its direct flights to Seychelles in the next couple of months will give a major boost to the tourism sector of the country

According to the Russian Embassy in Seychelles, Russia is considering restarting its flights to the island nation. The proposed plan of Aeroflot to resume its direct flights to Seychelles in the next couple of months will give a major boost to the tourism sector of the country.

There is an air service agreement already existing between Seychelles and Russia. The resumption of the Aeroflot flight will be in strict accordance with this agreement according to official sources from both sides. Though the specific dates have not been finalised for the service to start, there are indications that a potential flight for October is available in the booking system.

Seychelles is a favorite tourist destination of Russians and accounts for a major share of the tourist arrivals in the country. As of July 24, 2022, Russia ranks third in terms of visitor arrival in the country as per the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Currently, Russian visitors traveling to Seychelles are doing so through hubs such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, but face challenges such as language and flight connectivity, among others. After a gap of 17 years, Aeroflot resumed its operations in Seychelles in April 2021. In 2021, Russia was the top tourism market, with 32,000 visitors. Aeroflot canceled its flights to Seychelles on March 9 after the airline had issued a press statement saying that all international flights, except those with Minsk in Belarus, would be temporarily suspended. According to reports, the carrier is considering twice a week flight to Seychelles