The time has finally arrived for the upgrade of the Seychelles International Airport, after many years of contemplation, a pandemic and a financial strain it has been decided that twenty-twenty two is the year for a major upgrade.
In 2009 the Singaporean firm CPJ Corporation implemented a plan to upgrade the International Airport in Pointe Larue, which at the time failed to materialise due to a financial challenge. However, it has become crucial that the project takes place this year to keep up with the growing capacity.
The Seychelles International Airport was officially opened on the 20th of March 1972 by her majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Over the years, only a few changes have been made to cater to the growing aviation industry. “We recognized back in 2009 that aviation in Seychelles will get bigger and so a plan was put in place to develop the airport, heading into the next 40 or 50 years,” said Garry Albert, the chief executive of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA). In 2009 a prediction was made that in 2019 the tourism arrivals would be around 280 000 people but the actual figures shown from the year 2019, have increased to 460 000 people. “One of the main issues we are facing at the moment is with regards to the parking of the airplanes. We have around six parking bays but with the increasing size of the planes using our facilities, we can only take three planes at once and very often we find ourselves having to ask private jets to drop their clients off and leave.” said Albert.
It has thus become essential for the international airport to be upgraded in order to cater for the tourism and allow more traffic to travel in and out of Seychelles at once. The original plan included a bigger passenger terminal, an airport hotel, moving the fuel farm sewage facilities, a bigger cargo terminal, a new VIP complex and technical zone. This 2009 plan was based on the date and predictions made during this period of time, but as we all know, many changes have taken place since and the “new normal” today is far beyond our expectations.
A revision of the 2009 airport master plan has been recently approved and are now implementing a plan of action, taking into consideration the new figures, development and technicalities. The original plan was executed by a Singaporean firm CPJ Corporation whom also worked on the award-winning and ever so impressive Changi Airport.
In order to gain approval for a new plan going forward, these new developments need to be taken into consideration with a timeline of 9 months to get the concept and project approved, said the cabinet of ministers when broadcasting the news to the people of Seychelles.
You might be asking yourself, what does the upgrading of an airport have to do with Kreol Services?
Well taking into consideration that Kreol Services offer range of vehicles up for rent. A brand new airport would probably be the perfect spot to tackle new clients. This new development will enable Kreol Services to meet up with our clients face-to-face and assist with finding the perfect wheels for all the types of adventures available to do in Seychelles. Car hiring in Seychelles has proven to be more cost efficient than taking a taxi or travelling via bus and I mean how much more convenient would it be to have your own form of transport, rather than wasting your holiday time waiting around for a lift.
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