Air Seychelles, the small national airline of the Seychelles, is resuming long haul flights… even though it doesn’t have a plane capable of operating such service.
Air Seychelles will fly from Mahe to Paris with leased plane
It goes without saying that it has been a rough few weeks for global aviation, not just because of the spike in oil prices, but also due to all the flight disruptions in the Middle East.
Beyond Gulf countries directly, this has also had a big impact on places like the Seychelles, which are heavily reliant on tourism, and where flights largely route through Gulf hubs. So the airline is getting creative with restoring some more service to the country.
Between March 22 and April 29, 2026, Air Seychelles will temporarily operate 3x weekly flights between Mahe (SEZ) and Paris (CDG). The flight will operate with the following schedule:
HM1008 Mahe to Paris departing 9:00AM arriving 5:30PM
HM1007 Paris to Mahe departing 7:30PM arriving 7:30AM (+1 day)
The 4,871-mile flight is scheduled to operate in both directions on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and it’s blocked at 10hr30min to France and 10hr to the Seychelles.
Here’s what perhaps makes this most interesting, though. Air Seychelles’ fleet consists of just seven planes, including two Airbus A320neos and five DHC-6-400 Twin Otters, so how is the airline going to operate this route?
Air Seychelles will temporarily be leasing an Etihad Boeing 787-9, which presumably has limited flying opportunities at the moment, due to the conflict. The plane is equipped with 290 seats, including 28 business class seats and 262 economy class seats.
So this seems like a win-win, in terms of allowing Air Seychelles to transport passengers, while Etihad can generate some revenue as well. I imagine this will be a full-on wet lease agreement, so Etihad crews will operate these flights.
Here’s how Air Seychelles CEO Sandy Benoiton describes this:
“The introduction of non-stop flights to Paris marks an important milestone for Air Seychelles and for the country’s international connectivity, especially at this time. France has always been a vital market for Seychelles, and this service will provide a convenient and comfortable travel option for both visitors and Seychellois travelers while supporting the continued growth of our tourism industry.”
This is a full-circle moment for Air Seychelles, sort of
Air Seychelles’ (temporary) Paris service is technically a route resumption, as the airline flew this route until 2018. At the time, Etihad owned a stake in Air Seychelles, and Etihad was all about getting its equity partners to expand long haul. This was during James Hogan’s “how much money can Etihad light on fire” era, which was kind of awesome for passengers, as long as it lasted.
So at the time, Air Seychelles had two Airbus A330s, and one of the routes was to Paris. Unfortunately in 2018 the airline underwent a radical transformation, which included canceling long haul flights, and returning A330s to leasing companies. I flew this exact route just weeks after Air Seychelles returned its aircraft, so my flight ended up being operated fully by Etihad.
While the Abu Dhabi-based carrier stuck around a little longer, in 2021, Etihad sold its 40% stake in Air Seychelles for $1. So since the companies no longer have an equity partnership, it’s interesting to see this agreement between the two airlines.
Bottom line
Air Seychelles will be resuming its Mahe to Paris flight, after a roughly eight year hiatus. However, this route is only expected to operate for a limited time, in light of the lack of service from Gulf countries at the moment. I’m intrigued by the flight being operated by an Etihad 787, given that Etihad used to own a stake in the airline.
What do you make of Air Seychelles returning to Paris?
