Etihad Airways, Air Seychelles expand codeshare to Kuwait

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, today announced an expansion of its codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, for flights to Kuwait via Abu Dhabi. The newly added codeshare destination will see Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways offer 10 seamless return flights per week from Kuwait to the Seychelles, including a daily service. The agreement will see Air Seychelles place its "HM" code on Etihad Airways flights between Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. Cramer Ball, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, said in a statement, "We are thrilled to offer Kuwait to the traveling public, thanks to our equity partner Etihad Airways. Kuwait is one of the richest per capita countries in the world and home to a growing and developing outbound leisure market. Guests can now purchase flights to Kuwait on one ticket, making for a simpler and more seamless journey. "Visitor arrivals from the Gulf are up 23% from last year, so it is natural we should target the region for expansion. We are confident these new flights, with sub-two hour connectivity in Abu Dhabi, will stimulate further growth from the region, providing a new source of revenue for the airline as well as the local tourist economy," said Ball. Joel Morgan, Seychelles Minister for Home Affairs and Transport and Chairman of Air Seychelles Board, said, "I am pleased the State of Kuwait has granted approval to this venture, coming soon after the liberalisation of the air services agreement between our two states. "With this latest addition, Air Seychelles now offers codeshare flights to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman for a collective 64 connections per week to the Gulf Region, bolstering the visibility of both our national carrier and the Seychelles in one of the fastest growing markets to our archipelago."