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Plans are underway to make the Seychelles’ outer islands more accessible and this will be done through a revamped airstrip on Assumption Island, which will include clearing facilities so that visitors can go straight to the island
Plans are underway to make the Seychelles’ outer islands more accessible and this will be done through a revamped airstrip on Assumption Island, which will include clearing facilities so that visitors can go straight to the island.
The chief executive of Islands Development Company (IDC), Glenny Savy, said, that the Assumption airstrip will have to be upgraded in two ways; it is too short, and it will have to be lengthened and enlarged to cater to international flights. IDC also will collaborate with SCAA [Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority] so that the facilities that will be added to the airstrip will be adequate for immigration officers to clear incoming visitors. The renovated airstrip will also be ideal for the new hotel project that is being proposed on Assumption.
Currently, the project is going through the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) phase (class 1), which is being carried out by a local non-governmental organization, Island Conservation Society (ICS) in tandem with the Ministry of Environment.
A question was raised on whether there was a possibility of a conflict of interest as the IDC’s CEO is the vice chairperson of the ICS Board of Trustees and a co-founder, and IDC also provides funds for the organization. Savy denied that there is a conflict of this kind.
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With the EIA expected to be completed within the next three to four weeks, Savy confirmed that now the next step is to wait for the approval of the plans that have been sent to the Seychelles Planning Authority.
