(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles' national airline, Air Seychelles, recorded significant growth in its number of passengers in 2015, the head of the board said on Tuesday.

The airline's financial report presented by the chair Joel Morgan in a press conference shows a 22 percent increase in the number of passengers last year. Around 520,000 passengers travelled with Air Seychelles in 2015. Some 66 percent of seats were filled in 2015 compared with 60 percent in 2014. 

Morgan said Air Seychelles reported its fourth year of profitability with net profits of $2.1 million in 2015 on revenues of $105.4 million.

“The profit was another wonderful result for our national airline and for the future of aviation in Seychelles and the Indian Ocean region,” Morgan said.

Air Seychelles Chief Executive Roy Kinnear said the results show that the company has been able to deliver on its mandate, which was to achieve strong growth, become the region’s leading carrier and to do so as a commercially viable and profitable enterprise.

The national airline of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, undertook a number of initiatives last year. This included the addition of three new Airbus aircraft to the fleet, allowing Air Seychelles to tap into new markets and increase flights in its regional network. A new DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft was also introduced on its domestic route, making a total of six Twin Otters.

Air Seychelles also increased its network of code share destinations from 30 to 61.

Kinnear said the profit delivered in 2015 was a great sign for the future and that the company has the right foundations in place. For 2016, the company is committed to accelerating its growth, he said. 

This will be done by “continuing to grow our route network and invest in products and services to ensure that we provide the best possible guest experience both in the air and one the ground,” added Kinnear.

Air Seychelles was established in 1978 and began long-haul service in 1983. The airline currently offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, Antananarivo, Beijing, Johannesburg,  Mauritius, Mumbai and Paris, as well as domestic services to other islands.

The airline maintains a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates.

Kinnear said that: “Air Seychelles will continue to consolidate its position by making investments that will allow the airline to continue on its current trajectory of further growth.”