Air Seychelles has announced that it will be suspending its Singapore services as from November 24 and is looking to refocus its activities in the Far East in co-operation with other airlines, through codeshare and interline partnerships. The airline says the route withdrawal is mainly due to “heavy losses in revenue” due to high operating costs and low passenger and freight demand, also highlighting the increased competition and low flows of inbound tourists from Singapore.

Our new business strategy focuses on maximising revenue by ensuring we have the appropriate capacity on all routes and flights and that we are making adequate use of our fleet,” explained Bram Stellar, the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, Air Seychelles.

The airline has been serving Singapore for over 20 years having launched flights to the destination in July 1989. However, it did temporarily suspended its services in April 2005 for three months due to the SARS epidemic.

Air Seychelles officials, in partnership with the Seychelles Tourist Board and Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, are now in discussions with potential partners across Asia. China is a key market and informal discussions have already taken place with four airlines in the country about flying to Seychelles in collaboration with the national airline and opening up the islands as a holiday destination to Chinese nationals.