6 August 2014

Air partners with

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, today announced it has signed a with Alitalia, Italy’s leading airline.

The new deal will allow customers from both airlines to fly between Rome, Milan and Venice to Seychelles via , with just one ticket for their entire journey.

Air Seychelles’ HM flight code will be placed on Alitalia’s five weekly return non-stop flights between Rome and Abu Dhabi, and on ten connecting flights to Milan via Rome, and twelve connecting flights to Venice via Rome.

Alitalia in turn will place its AZ code on seven of Air Seychelles’ return flights between Abu Dhabi and Seychelles, and on 47 flights per week to and from Seychelles’ second largest island, Praslin, permitting stopovers on the main island of Mahé.

Manoj Papa, Air Seychelles’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “Italy is Seychelles’ third largest European market after Germany and France and this agreement strengthens business and leisure travel connections between our two countries.

“The partnership with Alitalia also enhances Air Seychelles’ visibility in the Italian market, as together, we deliver more choice and connectivity for visitors, especially to Seychelles’ second largest island, Praslin.

“We are also delighted to add the romantic city of Venice to the Air Seychelles codeshare network, providing guests with a new and exciting European destination to explore.”

Gabriele del Torcho, Alitalia’s Chief Executive Officer said: “We are pleased to start a codeshare agreement with Air Seychelles, following our longstanding interline cooperation.

“It is important to increase the connections between Italy and the Seychelles archipelago. By adding the island of Praslin, one of the world’s finest honeymoon destinations to our network, we make the route even more attractive to our clients.”

Tickets are on sale via airseychelles.com or alitalia.com.

Alternatively, customers can buy tickets through a travel agent, the airlines’ sales offices or by calling the Air Seychelles’ Call Centre on +248 438 1013 or the Alitalia Service Centre at +39 06 65649.

-ENDS-

About Air Seychelles Air Seychelles was established in 1978 and began long-haul service in 1983. The airline currently offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, , Hong Kong and . Air Seychelles also offers more than 200 domestic scheduled flights a week throughout the archipelago, as well as domestic charter services. As the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, Air Seychelles is a pillar of tourism, the island nation’s strongest and growing economic sector. The airline maintains a strategic partnership with , the national airline of the United Arab and 40 per cent stakeholder. For more information, please visit: www.airseychelles.com.

About Alitalia Alitalia - Compagnia Aerea Italiana (www.alitalia.com) is a fully private company that started its operations on 13 January 2009. The Company’s Summer schedule offers 103 destinations, of which 26 in Italy and 77 for the rest of the world; it has 186 routes, more than 4,700 weekly flights and carried 23.99 million passengers in 2013. Alitalia is a member of the SkyTeam global alliance and, since 2010, forms part with -KLM and of the main air transport Transatlantic Joint Venture. Today, the fleet of Alitalia is one of the youngest in the world with an average age of only 7 years and is one of the most efficient thanks to a reduction in the number of aircraft types and low environmental impact. Alitalia has been recognised by the pollsters of the German Institute of Quality and Finance ( ITQF ) as: "the best airline for the services offered to customers", winning the gold medal with an 82.6% percentage rate of satisfaction. In 2013, for the fourth year in a row, Alitalia, has been recognized as the best airline in the world for the quality of its innovative onboard dining program in Magnifica . The prize of “Best Airline Cuisine” has been awarded by the American magazine Global Traveler, which has been conducting research on the exceptional achievements of the travel and tourism industry for ten years. In 2013 Alitalia has also been awarded as with the prize Best In-Flight Wine Program at the SAVEUR Culinary Travel Awards.

For more information contact: Josie Michaud-Payet, Air Seychelles Corporate Communications Tel: +248 439 1034 Email: [email protected]

Antonella Zivillica, Media Relation Vice President Alitalia – Compagnia Aerea Italiana Tel: +39 06 6563 8950 Email: [email protected]