Air Seychelles engineers graduate with flying colours

Antoine Francois, Cliffton Leon, Damien Azemia, Erol Agricole, Hervé Toulon, Mario DeSylva and Marlon Nourrice embarked on the specialist four-year course in September 2012, where they learnt about both the theoretical and practical components of aircraft maintenance engineering.

The theory sessions fulfilled European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) requirements for an aircraft maintenance engineering licence. Courses included aviation regulations, digital techniques and aerodynamics.

Following their classroom training, the students rotated between aircraft hangars in Seychelles and Abu Dhabi, where they honed their practical skills and learned from senior professionals of Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways.

The practical component of the course covered various aspects of line maintenance and engineering checks on Airbus aircraft, such as the A320s and A330s in the Air Seychelles fleet, all the way up to the A380s, the world’s largest passenger aircraft operated by Etihad Airways.

The engineers were congratulated on their accomplishment at a special ceremony attended by Christoph Schippel, General Manager Operations of Air Seychelles; Jeff Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways Engineering; Faisal Al Mulla, Senior Manager Graduate Engineering Programme at Etihad Airways; and Kevin Pereira, Head of Engineering Training at Etihad Airways.

Roy Kinnear, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’re delighted to welcome home our talented engineers and congratulate them for successfully finishing one of the top aircraft maintenance engineering programmes in the world.

“The four-year programme enabled our engineers to gain a wealth of experience with modern Airbus aircraft that form the backbone of our international fleet, made possible by our partnership with Etihad Airways.

“Their graduation once again demonstrates our commitment to the professional development of Seychellois youth, as well as the emphasis we place on human resources which is vital for securing the future of Air Seychelles.”