Air Seychelles and Turkish Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement, simplifying connectivity for travelers connecting via Turkey and Seychelles.
The signing ceremony took place at Turkish Airlines’ Headquarters in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines CEO, Bilal Ekşi and Air Seychelles Acting CEO, Sandy Benoiton signed the agreement with the attendance of senior officials from both sides.
Turkish Airlines’ CEO Bilal Ekşi said: “We are pleased to sign this codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles, and aim to improve our partnership to maximize the travel opportunities offered to our passengers through our flight networks. We believe that this partnership will not only bring benefits to both carriers from a commercial perspective, but also improve the cultural and tourism relations between two countries.”
Air Seychelles’ acting CEO Mr. Sandy Benoiton also added: “Air Seychelles is thrilled to offer the TK code on our domestic flights between Mahe and Praslin, allowing a single-ticket transaction for seamless travel to Seychelles’ second largest island. Additionally, the Air Seychelles HM-code will appear on key cities in Europe and the Middle East, allowing further options and travel date flexibility to our passengers.”
As a result of the new agreement, Turkish Airlines passengers connecting within the Seychelles island chain can benefit from a seamless connection on a single ticket, while Seychelles travelers have similar benefits to select cities in Turkey and Europe. The new agreement is set to go into effect from October 15, 2022, and is broken down as follows:
- Turkish will now place its code on domestic Air Seychelles flights between Mahé (SEZ) and Praslin (PRI)
- Air Seychelles will put its code on Turkish flights between Mahé (SEZ) and Istanbul (IST), and well as Istanbul (IST) to Paris (CDG) and Istanbul (IST) to Tel Aviv (TLV).
The codeshare obviously adds to Turkish’s expanding network, but could come as a big win for Air Seychelles as the smaller carrier is still grappling with a $76 million debt owed to bond holders. According to Seychelles News Agency, the airline has agreed to pay only $27.8 million of that debt so far as it navigates its way on the road to recovery.
[Featured Photo: Air Seychelles]
