Chennai to Seychelles flights has suspended

Air Seychelles drops Chennai, resumes direct flights to Singapore
Air Seychelles started a flight from Chennai to Seychelles in November 2010 and is operating a service every Wednesday. The airline also had plans to make Chennai a hub for Asia.
With the withdrawal of the Chennai route, Air Seychelles will continue to operate its weekly flights to Singapore departing Mahe on Monday evenings and returning on Wednesday night.

The move to withdraw its flight will affect travellers from Chennai who used to fly to the island for leisure. The archipelago in the Indian Ocean is a favourite honeymoon destination.

However, the stop in Chennai added two more hours of flying time, and additional costs were being incurred on the ground in Chennai which has increased the loss. As a result, Air Seychelles posted a loss of R16.5m during the past three-and-a-half months, which is equal to the loss of a full year of operations to Singapore.
Air Seychelles Executive Chairman Maurice Loustau-Lalanne said: “Our decision to suspend these flights has not been taken lightly, as we had invested money and time to make this route profitable. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and in the absence of 5th Freedom Traffic Rights to uplift passengers between Chennai and Singapore, we have no other option but to suspend our weekly Chennai operations as of June 1, 2011.”

He explained, however, that with the on-going review of its operations, Air Seychelles still considers India as an important market, and depending on the final strategy adopted, a dedicated flight to India and back to Mahe is not ruled out.

Air Seychelles previously operated between Seychelles and Mumbai between 2001 and 2005 but due to fierce competition from other carriers, the national airline withdrew its services.