Dubai: Saudi Arabia-based Flynas has postponed the launch of its Seychelles flights due to capacity issues on the aircraft assigned to the route.
The low-cost carrier was expected to begin operations on July 1 with thrice-weekly flights.
“The commencement of Flynas’ flights linking the Seychelles islands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been deferred to a later date,” said Seychelles Tourism Office Middle East, in a Linkedin post on Sunday.
The tourism body, citing information communicated by Flynas representatives to Seychelles’ aviation regulator, said the deferment of the direct flight from Jeddah to Mahé relates to the capacity of the brand new A320 Neo aircraft assigned to the destination, affecting its payload and range.
Flynas has confirmed that a project is currently underway for the aircraft to obtain ETOPS clearance following which the operation will be launched. It is a certification that permits twin engine aircraft to fly routes which may, at the time, be 60 minutes flying time from the nearest airport that is suitable for an emergency landing.
“The delay in the launch of Flynas’ flights to Seychelles is only a minor setback, which we are confident they will resolve. Our plans for the market are in no way affected and we look forward to seeing them land in our islands soon,” said Sylvestre Radegonde, Seychelles Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism.
Seychelles authorities expect the situation to be resolved soon.
“It is regrettable that Flynas will not be coming to Seychelles as mentioned in July but this will not stop us from continuing our work to keep Seychelles visible in the region,” said Sherin Francis, incoming Principal Secretary of the Department of Tourism.
“We anticipate that the situation will be resolved soon and that the destination will be able to welcome visitors from Saudi Arabia and the region soon,” said Francis.
