Air Seychelles, the national carrier of the Republic of Seychelles, has successfully completed a short-term ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) lease with Smartwings, facilitated by Zela Aviation. The agreement saw Smartwings provide a Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft to Air Seychelles for just over one month, strengthening the airline’s operational capacity during a busy period for Seychelles.
Zela Aviation, a specialist ACMI aviation broker, played a key role in facilitating the partnership, ensuring a smooth and efficient lease arrangement. Smartwings, a prominent European ACMI provider, supplied the aircraft along with crew and support services, enabling Air Seychelles to maintain seamless operations and high standards of service for its passengers.
Mr. Andreas Christodoulides, Chairman of Zela Aviation, reflected on the successful collaboration:
“We are pleased to have supported this ACMI lease between Air Seychelles and Smartwings. The operation ran smoothly and highlights how ACMI solutions can provide flexibility and operational efficiency for airlines. It also demonstrates how such agreements benefit both suppliers and customers—allowing lessors like Smartwings to deploy aircraft effectively while helping carriers like Air Seychelles meet seasonal operational demands and cover for scheduled maintenance, particularly during the busy winter period. We congratulate Air Seychelles on a successful lease period and look forward to supporting future collaborations.”
This partnership underscores the value of ACMI agreements in meeting airlines’ operational needs and demonstrates Zela Aviation’s expertise in brokering effective, reliable aviation solutions.
Charles Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer for Air Seychelles commented: “We greatly appreciate the wonderful cooperation with Smartwings, facilitated by Zela Aviation. While Seychelles is a challenging and isolated part of the world, the Smartwings partnership gave us extra capacity which allowed us to maintain the operational excellence and delivery we’re known for.”
About Zela Aviation: Zela Aviation since establishment in 2006 has been active in the field of aircraft wet / dry leasing, chartering and aircraft sales maintaining offices in Cyprus, Greece and the United Kingdom. Zela Aviation has and remain to provide a range of services for its clients located in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. Its leading position, track records throughout the years, and complimented by its very well – trained staff, make Zela Aviation a solid and reliable partner worldwide.
About Air Seychelles:
The Seychelles’ national carrier has been flying for over 45 years. Wholly owned by the Government of Seychelles, Air Seychelles operates regionally from its home in Mahe to Colombo, Johannesburg, Mauritius and Abu Dhabi with state-of-the-art Airbus A320NEOs. Domestically, the airline operates up to 30 round-trips a day to Praslin, the second largest island in the archipelago, along with various charters to other islands on its twin-otter fleet. Air Seychelles offers ground handling services to major commercial and private airlines at its base in Mahe, Seychelles.
In 2025, Air Seychelles was recognized as ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline’ at the prestigious World Travel Awards and also claimed the coveted titles of ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline – Economy Class’ and ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Cabin Crew.’
About Smartwings:
Smartwings, a.s., the largest Czech airline and a member of the Smartwings Group, has been present on the market for 28 years. Other airlines in the Group include Smartwings Poland, Sp. z.o.o., Smartwings Slovakia, s.r.o., and Smartwings Hungary, Kft. Smartwings Group operates scheduled services, charter flights and business-jet category private flights. Smartwings is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and repeatedly receives the IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certificate representing the most advanced standards of operational safety and quality in air transport.
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