Russian carrier, Aeroflot, is to resume seasonal flight from Moscow to Mahé, Seychelles, in October. This comes after the airline suspended its flights to the Indian Ocean Island destination in May.

The airline will fly direct three times a week. No start date or official schedule has been announced yet.

This was announced following a meeting between Seychelles Minister of Transport, Antony Derjacques, and a delegation from the airline, led by the Ambassador of Russia to Seychelles, Artyom Kozhin.

The Seychelles Ministry of Transport said in a statement that Derjacques had highlighted the important contributions made by Aeroflot in the economic recovery of Seychelles from the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, since Aeroflot resumed scheduled flights in September 2021, the airline was consistent in its performance, driving up tourist arrivals from Russia from under 15 000 in 2019 to more than 38 000 in 2023.

"As a result, Russia now stands in the top five of our tourist arrivals week-on-week. We are very pleased with this achievement. It is in this spirit and in recognition of its contribution to our socio-economic development that we are rallying the support of all stakeholders to ensure the smooth resumption of Aeroflot in Russia’s winter season," said Derjacques. 

Kozhin agreed, pointing out that awareness of Seychelles as a destination in Russia had also increased following the introduction of the Moscow route, spurring demand for travel to the island.

He called for a cohesive and collaborative approach locally among key stakeholders to ensure the airline could resume the flights as planned later this year.

"We need to recognise the domino effect of Aeroflot's operation to Seychelles. Everyone in the country benefits either directly or indirectly. Henceforth, it is important that we work towards ensuring that we can achieve year-round service from the airline by creating the right conditions to facilitate their operation," Kohzin added.