"Seychelles is a high-quality tourism destination and we believe that our visitors deserve the best possible experience from the moment they step onto the plane. For this reason we regard our aircraft as an extension of the islands themselves," Air Seychelles' executive chairman Captain David Savy has said in a forward message in the new Silhouette inflight magazine, due out next week.

The national airline's top executive explains that over the past 20 years, Air Seychelles has readily renewed and upgraded its fleet of international aircraft and is proud to say that the airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleet in Africa.

"Along with upgrading our fleet we have improved the in-flight service to give our passengers the benefit of the latest refinements in the commercial aviation industry. The charm and genuine hospitality of the cabin crew, combined with the little Creole touches which personalise the in-flight service, means that our passengers experience the warmth and the spirit of the Seychelles islands before they arrive", Captain Savy adds.

He notes that besides improved passenger comfort and the continuous improvement of the airline's service delivery, the national airline has also expanded its regional network and increased the frequency of flights on existing routes to give passengers a wider choice to convenient departure times.

"Whether you are travelling on the "holiday of a lifetime", or for family or business reasons, we hope you enjoy these few hours in the air with us. Leave the cares of the world behind and allow us to pamper you a little whilst you travel to or from these beautiful island of ours," is the ending message of Captain Savy in the forward message.

The new Ste Anne Resort, Beachcomber's first tourism establishment in Seychelles, graces the front cover of the new Silhouette , as a dream island and a perfect hideaway. An editorial on the new resort boasts individual villas along pristine beaches, nestled in tropical gardens, two restaurants combining European with local delicious flavours and spices topped by the availability of a tropical health spa run by the world-class French chain, Clarins.

Other stories in this latest issue of the Silhouette magazine range from flora and fauna to culture, tourism, environment and ideal holiday destinations.

"The Forgotten Islands of the Comoros" answer the most asked question of this mystical group of islands in the Indian Ocean which is also on the regional network of Air Seychelles.

The Magic of Black Pearls and its intrigue cultivation into expensive jewellery is all explained in this issue whilst the piece entitled "Voyages in the Sea of Ganj" by Judith Skerret traces the tempestuous history of the Indian Ocean which gave birth to the Seychelles islands.

The future of the southern islands of the Seychelles group, which are not fully explored yet but have unparalleled beauty, is clearly detailed in an island-hopping journey taken by Adrian Skerret.

Silhouette also discovers the ancient arts and crafts of the Maldives, where historically the Maldivians have displayed extremely high standards of craftsmanship, especially in boat building. Their stone carving techniques was also famous throughout the region, though the art form was sadly lost during the 20th century.

The Dabba Wallahs and Dhobi Wallahs of Mumbai is the home to some of the sophisticated and efficient delivery systems in the world. Walter Glaser writes how hundreds of thousands of laundry items and lunchboxes are processed and delivered to their destinations with uncanny accuracy on a daily basis.

In "Back From The Brink", Ron Toft writes on the striking black-and-white Magpie robins first found centuries ago in Seychelles. Although no-one knows precisely how many of these thrush-sized, relatively tame birds lived year-round in the archipelago prior to human habitation, it is likely that population ran into thousands.

Captain David Plows, an Air Seychelles pilot is no better person to explain the Seychelles' skies at night and the best viewing of stars, which he clearly sees from the cockpit.

Seychelles' interesting history, much of which is recalled by the country's national monuments should not be missed under the heading " National Monuments of Seychelles".

An environment awareness article which soaks up some water-wise ideas is "Watering the World" where the bad news speaks on the world's most precious resource is fast running out and the good news is that several companies have devised ingenious solutions for conserving water.

Once again, Air Seychelles' inflight magazine has come out with this rich encyclopaedia of issues ideal not only for a traveller but  students, environmentalists, cultural artists, researchers and the list goes ... grab your copy onboard next time you travel HM....

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