Government Discusses Redevelopment Plans for Seychelles International Airport
VICTORIA, Seychelles — President Wavel Ramkalawan and Vice-President Ahmed Afif met with key stakeholders yesterday afternoon to discuss the redevelopment of the Seychelles International Airport. The meeting followed a presidential visit to the airport on July 31, where the initial concept for modernising the facility was presented.
Stakeholders have been given two more months to review costs and carry out further consultations before a final decision is made. The government is weighing two options: redeveloping the current terminal, which would involve high costs and demolition work, or building an entirely new terminal that could be better planned from the start. The President explained that the discussions brought together ideas from engineers, technicians and airline representatives, aimed at creating an airport that meets the needs of both visitors and Seychellois. ‘A lot of ideas were proposed, and today we discussed how our technicians and engineers can put these ideas together to give us a clear picture of what is feasible and what is not. We want an airport that offers a smooth experience for our visitors and allow passengers to get their luggage much faster.’
Passenger numbers are an important consideration. Visitor arrivals so far this year have increased by more than 10 percent compared to 2023, and Seychelles may surpass the record set in 2019 if the trend continues. However, the President stressed that the country must carefully manage growth. ‘We have set the figure at 400,000 to 500,000 visitors as the maximum we can accommodate. If we go beyond this, we risk destroying Seychelles. The airport plan must take all of this into account.’ Future airport development will also involve relocating certain facilities to free up space, with talks having started with the Seychelles Petroleum Company (Seypec) to move the fuel farm, and Skychef’s facility may also be relocated. In the meantime, immediate improvements will be made to ease congestion, with plans already in place to acquire a second baggage carousel to speed up passenger flow when multiple flights arrive at once. Present at the meeting were the Minister for Transport, Anthony Derjacques, representatives of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), the Seychelles Airports Authority (SAA), the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency and other key partners.
