Dakar Rally 2022, Air Seychelles flies racers to the deserts of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, home to three populous cities of more than a million people, including Riyadh, Jeddah and Mecca will host the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally in January, 2022.

Providing the best travel experiences with great focus on safety and reliability, Air Seychelles on Sunday, 26 November 2021, operated a special charter, carrying a group of 110 professionals and amateurs racers including their mechanics, navigators as well as trainers from Johannesburg to Jeddah.

Amongst the passengers on this special flight was 27 year old Toyota Gazoo race driver, Henk Lategan, the youngest driver to win the South African rally-raid title, much sought after as the rising star of rally-raid upon his arrival at the Dakar Rally a year ago.

Air Seychelles Acting Chief Executive, Sandy Benoiton commented: “Due to the unprecedented environment leading to delays and possible cancellations of commercial flights, now more than ever sports professionals are looking at aircraft charters for a hassle-free experience to ensure safe and timely arrival at their destination.

“We are very happy that Air Seychelles had the opportunity to operate this charter and it is clear that sports teams across the globe continue to trust the airline based on its flexibility and reliability to operate their charters, ensuring teams arrive well rested to deliver their best performance.”

The Dakar Rally set to take place between 2 and 14 January, 2022 is expected to gather 1,065 participants aboard 578 vehicles racing across 8,375km of treacherous routes in the various categories. Air Seychelles will operate the returning flight from Jeddah to Johannesburg on Sunday, 16 January, 2022.