Etihad Airways has announced it will commence operations to Mahé in the Republic of Seychelles.

From today the national airline of the United Arab Emirates will operate four return services per week from its home base in Abu Dhabi to Seychelles International Airport in Mahé.

The service will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, configured with two cabins - Pearl Business and Coral Economy - and offering 1,088 seats each week.

Etihad is considered the World’s Leading Airline by the prestigious World Travel Awards.

The inaugural Etihad service arrives in the Seychelles

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive officer, said: “The Seychelles has strong and growing appeal as a premium leisure destination, with increasing numbers of GCC residents and European travellers holidaying there.

“With the recent honeymoon of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Seychelles is likely to gain new interest as a destination of choice.

“Our increased frequencies from mid-2011 on some of our primary routes from Europe make the approaching Northern winter period an ideal time to launch these new services.

“We expect this will be a hugely popular destination, in particular for holidaymakers from the GCC and European markets, due to the ease of connecting services through Abu Dhabi and convenient scheduling.”

The Seychelles comprises 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, located off of the east coast of Africa.

The 41 inner islands constitute the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands on earth, with another 74 islands forming the low-lying coral atolls and reef islands of the outer islands.

The inner islands cluster mainly around the principal islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, forming the cultural and economic hub of Seychelles, as well as the centre of its tourism industry.

The Seychelles will become the 68th destination on Etihad’s global network.