Seychelles opened its borders to international tourists on March 25, and has since established a travel corridor with the UAE.
With the country boasting one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, alongside its exclusive resorts, turquoise Indian Ocean waters and laid-back island vibe, it's an increasingly popular option for UAE travellers.
If you’re planning a visit, Air Seychelles is a solid option for travel. The country’s national airline launched a new weekly service between Dubai and Mahe on July 2, which will run until July 24.
The airline offers direct flights from Seychelles to the UAE, as well as domestic flights between Mahe and Praslin. If you're thinking about booking a business class flight to the island destination, here's everything you need to know about the experience.
The check-in
My check-in process was faultless. After scanning my Seychelles Travel Authorisation form and passport, I was handed my boarding pass and, as a business class passenger, a coupon granting me access to the Marhaba Lounge.
The lounge was a bit of a walk from the gate, but access to breakfast, charging points and a morning cuppa provided ample motivation. The boarding process began on the dot and a shuttle bus transported us to our aircraft, an Airbus 320, 10 minutes later.
On board
One of the greatest perks of flying business class during the pandemic is the extra space you’re granted. The business class section on the Air Seychelles aircraft is not extensive – 12 seats in total, two on either side – but it is more than enough for my flight's three business-class passengers, allowing plenty of room for social distancing.
In economy class, efforts were made to leave seats empty between passengers.
In-flight
One of the first things you’ll notice upon boarding is that there are no screens on this flight. Air Seychelles’s international flights are instead equipped with seyStream in-flight entertainment. Guests need to use their own devices – be it a mobile phone, laptop or tablet – to access content on the system that they can watch offline for free.
A quick scan showed about eight films and five TV shows. It's enough for a four-and-a-half-hour flight, but best to bring your own entertainment if you’re picky.
Staff were warm and friendly, and I was offered options for my meal and when I wanted it to be served. There’s certainly something about a full-blown breakfast – banana pancakes, cut fruits and a croissant – up in the air.
Safety measures
Travelling during the pandemic involves some obvious changes, the most prominent being that every passenger who steps on an Air Seychelles flight is greeted with smile … and a spray of hand sanitiser.
As we buckled up, the pilot announcement came with a friendly but firm reminder to “keep wearing those face masks”, unless you are eating. All cabin crew staff wear a face mask at all times. Safety measures also mean that on arrival, Air Seychelles disembarks 30 passengers at a time to avoid overcrowding at the airport.
The verdict
Air Seychelles is a wallet-friendly option if you are looking for direct flights between Dubai and Seychelles. While fixed weekly flights don't give you a lot of flexibility on your dates, the timings are extremely convenient.
The bottom line
Air Seychelles is operating weekly flights between Dubai and Seychelles until Saturday, July 24, departing from Dubai International Airport's Terminal 3 on Friday mornings at 8am and landing in Seychelles at 12.30pm. The return flight takes off at 2.15pm from Seychelles International Airport every Thursday afternoon. There will also be an additional flight on Monday, July 19 from Dubai at 8am.
Economy-class fares start from $343 (Dh1,259), while business-class tickets start at $1,020 (Dh3,743). All fares are inclusive of taxes.
This review was conducted at the invitation of Air Seychelles. It reflects standards during the time of writing; services may change in the future
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
The five pillars of Islam
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Mobile phone packages comparison
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
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MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
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