Air Seychelles, the national carrier of the Republic of Seychelles, has announced plans to launch twice-weekly flights from its hub in Mahe, Seychelles, to Colombo, Sri Lanka, starting from June. The inaugural flight will take off from Mahe on 20th June 2023, further enhancing connectivity in the Indian Ocean region.
The flight will arrive in the Sri Lankan capital at 22:05 after a four-hour journey, using the airline’s latest and most efficient Airbus A320neo model, featuring 12 business class and 156 economy class configurations.
Air Seychelles’ decision to launch flights to Colombo reflects its commitment towards expanding its network and providing convenient travel options for passengers.
Charles Johnson, Air Seychelles’ Chief Commercial Officer commented on the Colombo route stating: “We’re very excited about this opportunity to link Seychelles with Sri Lanka. A destination in its own right with excellent tourist, medical and trading opportunities which all Seychellois will benefit from.”
“In addition, our upcoming partnership with Sri Lankan Airlines will allow travellers to purchase a single ticket for travel beyond Colombo to other destinations in Asia.”
“This service will drastically reduce current travel times and at prices much lower than currently seen in the market.”
Colombo – a stop-over market?
The Colombo flight will mostly serve connected passengers, although we believe that there will be a few passenger originating from Colombo.
Passengers connect through Colombo airport, with over 20+ connections through Oneworld partner Sri Lankan Airlines, and there will be enough demand for Air Seychelles to justify the flight. Once the service commences, this will allow passengers to seamlessly connect through Colombo Airport.
Destinations served to and from Colombo Airport include cities in India, Bangladesh, and popular destinations namely Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Tokyo as well as a handful of Australian cities such as Melbourne and Sydney.
Sandy Benoiton, Acting Chief Executive Officer stated “This new destination will reinforce our regional service and provide enhanced connectivity to the south-east Asia region and beyond. This is a high-potential market and we look forward to seeing what lies ahead”.
Price and scheduling
To honour the new route, Air Seychelles is offering a special web promotion from SCR 6,800 until 25 April 2023, for travel from 20 June to 30 September 2023. Seats are limited and subject to availability.
Flight Schedule for Colombo:
| Flight no | Origin | Departs | Destinations | Arrives | Day |
| HM262 | Seychelles | 22:05 | Colombo | 03:51(+1) | Tue & Sat |
| HM263 | Colombo | 04:50 | Seychelles | 07:35 | Wed & Sun |
About Air Seychelles
Air Seychelles is the flag carrier of Seychelles and had been representing the island republic for over 45 years.
It is wholly owned by the Government of Seychelles, and operates regionally, from its home base in Mage to destinations like Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Mumbai, and Mauritius with state-of-the-art modern Airbus A320neo.
For its domestic operation, the airline flies to up 30 roundtrips a day to Praslin, the nation’s second-largest island along with smaller islands using its sturdy Twin Otter “twotter” fleet.
In 2022, the airline managed to remain the most awarded airline in the Indian Ocean.
