(Seychelles News Agency) - As the Seychelles’ national airline celebrates four decades of existence, the company has organised a series of activities for school children, staff and the general public.

To kick off the five-day celebration, Air Seychelles on Monday welcomed 120 students from Baie Lazare and Takamaka primary school on an aircraft visit at the Seychelles International Airport. The students had the chance to experience in-flight products and services and met with two jet fleet pilots who relayed their roles and responsibilities.

The chief executive of Air Seychelles, Remco Althuis, said that such an activity contributes towards the education of children in Seychelles, and the schools’ development programme.

Air Seychelles was established on October 26, 1978, as a domestic airline, venturing into long-haul services five years later. In 1983, the government bought a Douglas DC 10 aircraft and the airline started its first weekly flight to London via Frankfurt.

During the 40 years, the company has acquired aircraft such as the Boeing 767-200 ER, Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A320, contributing to the growth of the airline.

Today, Air Seychelles offers flights to Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg, Mauritius and Mumbai, complementing its domestic services. Next year, the company looks to increase the frequency to certain destinations and acquire more modern aircraft, including the Airbus A320neo.

“We will continue to focus on the key projects as part of the transformation plan as we strive to innovate our business in this challenging industry to ensure we maintain the level of service we are proud of,” said Althuis.

To further celebrate the 40th anniversary of Air Seychelles, the company hosted 24 school children with a 15-minute scenic flight over Praslin, the second most populated island.

Primary school students onboard a domestic flight aircraft (top) and SIT students at the Air Seychelles hangar. (Air Seychelles) Photo License: CC-BY

Not forgetting the older generation, the national airline organised an open day for students of the Seychelles Institute of Technology (SIT) on Wednesday.

“Air Seychelles has been in partnership with the SIT for over the past six years and every year at a specific time we always welcome a number of students from the institution at our establishment as part of the internship programme,” said Althuis.

Air Seychelles this week also rewarded six of its longest-serving staff who have been working in the company over 10 to 40 years in a special ceremony. 

Working jointly with local radio station - K-radio - the airline is hosting a quiz competition on Friday. With the collaboration of Coco Bleu -- a restaurant located in Victoria - guests holding an Air Seychelles boarding pass or ticket can receive 10 percent off their total bill at the establishment.