The first direct charter flight of the Sichuan Airlines, linking Seychelles to Chengdu in China, arrived in the island nation on Tuesday.

The flight touched down at the Seychelles International Airport at Pointe Larue at 6.47 am carrying 264 passengers, together with a delegation of high officials from Chengdu led by the Deputy Mayor of the city. Also onboard was a group of Chinese businessmen who will be participating in the trade fair organised by the Enterprise Seychelles Agency (ESA).

The trade fair will be held at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Hotel from Thursday, November 21 to Saturday 23.

Apart from the officials and the businessmen, there were also several tourists present on the flight.

The passengers were welcomed at the airport by the Minister for Tourism and Foreign Affairs, Sylvestre Radegonde, the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry Devika Vidot, the Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles, Lin Nan, as well as the principal secretary for Tourism, Sherin Francis.

In his welcoming address,  Radegonde said that the last time Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, had a direct flight from China was almost six years ago.

Radegonde added that the new flight is the result of extensive negotiations and discussions and "it represents the culmination of our shared commitment to strengthening ties with China."

He told reporters that the flight from Chengdu was a chartered one and that they expect to have more from there in the future.

"We are having discussions at the moment regarding this flight route. If everything goes well and we get enough people, this might become a regular flight," he added.

Vidot talked about the participation of the 34 businessmen in the trade fair and described China as very developed country, especially in regards to innovation and technology.

She said that this event is meant to bring Seychellois entrepreneurs closer to Chinese suppliers as well as show these suppliers the business landscape in Seychelles.

"We are making it easier for them; we've removed the language and geographical barrier so they are able to ask questions and learn more about the processes, so they are able to do it themselves in the future," added Vidot. 

According to ESA, the exhibitors from China have shown a lot of interest in displaying agricultural equipment, however, there will be representatives of different sectors such as manufacturing, tourism and hoteliers, beekeeping as well as crafts.