Air Seychelles expands European lifeline with Rome launch and Paris widebody service

Air Seychelles is reinforcing its European network with new routes to Rome Fiumicino Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, as the airline moves to safeguard connectivity amid ongoing disruption to Gulf air corridors.

Dual-route strategy to offset disruptions

The airline will launch a twice-weekly Rome service from 28 March, complementing a newly introduced three-times-weekly nonstop Paris service starting 20 March. Both routes are designed to maintain access to Europe as major Gulf carriers—including Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways—scale back operations due to regional conflict and airspace restrictions.

• Rome flights: Operated by Airbus A320neo with a technical stop in Hurghada

• Paris flights: Nonstop service operated by Boeing 787-900 via a wet-lease agreement with Etihad Airways

Widebody capacity boosts Paris link

The Paris route marks a significant step forward, introducing long-haul widebody capacity with 290 seats, including lie-flat Business Class, and enabling direct connectivity between Seychelles and continental Europe.

Initially planned for one month, the service could be extended or increased to four weekly flights depending on demand.

Innovation through partnerships

Air Seychelles is leveraging wet-leasing cooperation with Etihad Airways to rapidly deploy long-haul aircraft—an approach increasingly seen as a flexible solution to geopolitical disruption affecting global aviation networks.

Protecting key tourism markets

France and Italy rank among Seychelles’ most important inbound markets. Strengthening links to Paris and Rome is therefore critical to:

• Sustaining tourism flows

• Supporting business and cultural exchange

• Ensuring European connectivity without reliance on Gulf hubs

Paris, as one of Europe’s largest hubs, also provides extensive onward connections, improving accessibility for travellers across the continent.

Coordinated national response

The expansion reflects a coordinated effort between the airline, government and aviation authorities to maintain international access during a period of uncertainty.

Bottom line: By combining a nonstop Paris widebody service with a Rome narrowbody route, Air Seychelles is executing a multi-layered resilience strategy—preserving European connectivity, mitigating reliance on disrupted Gulf hubs, and sustaining its tourism-driven economy.