The special long-service awards ceremony took place on Friday in the VIP Lounge at the airport where the staff, who have all been with the company for over 10 to 40 years, were thanked for their years of service
The group came from various airline departments including ground operations, quality and safety, information technology, cabin operations, flight operations, procurement and supply chain, revenue management, sales and distribution, planning and finance, human resources, technical operations and cargo.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport and chairman of Air Seychelles, Joel Morgan, and chief executive (CEO) of Air Seychelles, Roy Kinnear, joined in a ceremonial cake cutting to mark the special occasion.
Minister Morgan said Air Seychelles currently employs 746 Seychellois nationals of which 65 are pilots, 145 cabin crew, 72 working in technical operations, 219 in ground services, while 245 in sales, marketing, finance, procurement, revenue management and so on.
“The progress of our airline is crucial as the contribution that Air Seychelles makes to the national economy and the job market in Seychelles cannot be overstated and goes far beyond the actual number of employees working for the company,” he said.
He said besides being the biggest employer in the country, our national airline offers our people not just jobs, but careers.
“You are all witnesses of tremendous changes, especially in the past four years since the initiation of the strategic partnership with Etihad Airways,” he said.
Mr Kinnear, who has recently completed a full year at the airline, said: “As the CEO of Air Seychelles I must say – time does fly!”
He noted that a good and successful company should have the ability to recognise employee contribution and their insight and experience, equally enabling its employees to recognise the strategy of the company and the direction it is moving in.
“Our national airline is performing very well and while we continue to invest and grow the airline, our people will always be at the forefront of it. More than eight per cent of our employees have reached milestones of 10 and above years with the airline, which speaks volumes about the know-how and experience we have accumulated at the company,” he said.
Two staff members – human resources manager Ellen Jack and purchasing officer David Monthy – were honoured for clocking 40 years.
Ms Jack joined the aviation industry in 1975 which was then known as Aviation Seychelles which later merged with Air Seychelles Ltd in 1988.
She started this job straight from school as a check-in agent in ground services department until she has worked her way up to human resources manager where she is responsible for supporting young and new recruits.
Ms Jack is also a qualified instructor so from time to time she extends her support to the training team.
She said she has experienced a lot during the last 40 years with the company.
“I still remember back in the days when I first joined, everything was done manually and now that we are living in the world of technology, everything is different, faster and easier. I am indeed proud to say that I have witnessed and been actively involved in the transformation of the airline and I must also say that the journey has indeed been amazing,” she said.
As words of encouragement to the youth she said: “You need to do whatever it is you want with your heart and love and not be forced to do the job or else you won’t last.”
Mr Monthy, who started out as a store keeper also worked his way up to purchasing officer said he has been able to accomplish all these years with the Grace of God.
George Desaubin, ramp service manager in ground operations, was recognised for clocking more than 25 years of service.
He also shared his experience of the airline’s growth, saying: “Air Seychelles operations at the airport have grown multiple times over the past years. Today we manage a complex operation that involves more than 300 domestic and 60 international services a week. Seeing the progress first-hand and being part of the change has been a phenomenal experience.”
Captain Christoph Larue was recognised for 15 years of service and noted: “Flying the Creole spirit with Air Seychelles has been a tough, but a very rewarding journey. Having started as a pilot on the Twin Otter aircraft to become a Captain on the jet fleet, I am very grateful for the career opportunity and development Air Seychelles has offered me.”
He was especially thrilled to be honoured as Captain in Command on the Airbus A330 for the flyover performed on the occasion of the 40th National Day of Seychelles celebration and promised to continue to make his country proud of the Seychellois pilots serving the national airline.
Source : Seychelles NATION