Just in time for Christmas, Air Seychelles lands in Manila for the first time in history
Air Seychelles has today marked another historical milestone by operating for the first time ever to the principal plus most populous metropolitan region of the Philippines, the center of industrial development as well as the international port of entry, Manila.
Flight HM9882 which departed Johannesburg in the late evening on 24 December 2021, under the command of Captain Mervin Sicobo and First Officer Andre Macgaw landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the only serving airport in the Philippines at noon, just in time to mark the Christmas celebrations.
The special repatriation flight carrying over 100 Filipinos to their homeland supported by Flight Deck crew, Winsley Confiance, Dereck Imaduwa, Cabin Manager Jacques Tirant, Cabin Senior Carol Athanase, Flight Attendants Mike Maria and Oneil Tamboo as well as Engineer, Claude Lafortune conducted a short refueling stop in Colombo prior to arriving at the archipelagic country located in Southeast Asia.
Air Seychelles Acting Chief Executive Sandy Benoiton explained: “2021 has been a year filled with historical milestones, first, establishing connection with Australia a few months back and now proudly landing into Manila for the first time.
“I must say that I am indeed very proud of the team for demonstrating that they have the can-do-attitude to fly Air Seychelles to greater heights, especially during this unprecedented time where we need to continue to seek opportunities that are commercially viable to keep the fleet in the sky, given the ongoing restrictions on commercial travel.
“Aviation is the key to keeping people connected and this is what we do at Air Seychelles. Hence, I take this opportunity to thank all our partners for their support and for continuing to trust Air Seychelles in delivering their passengers safely and timely at their destination.”
The returning flight will depart Manila in the late evening on 25 December, 2021 to arrive in the Seychelles by midday the following day.
About Air Seychelles
The Seychelles’ national carrier has been flying for over 45 years. Wholly owned by the Government of Seychelles, the carrier operates regionally from its home in Mahe to Colombo, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Mumbai and Mauritius with state- of-the-art Airbus A320NEOs. Domestically the carrier operates up to 30 roundtrips a day to Praslin, the second largest island in the archipelago, along with various charters to other islands on its twin-otter fleet. Air Seychelles offers ground handling services to major commercial and private airlines at its base in Mahe, Seychelles.
In 2024, Air Seychelles was awarded the coveted titles of ‘Indian Ocean's Leading Airline - Economy Class 2024’ at the 31st edition of the World Travel Awards as well as ‘Indian Ocean's Leading Cabin Crew 2024.’
Information contained in this press release is accurate at the time of publication.