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OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE

01.03.2011

PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES AIR SEYCHELLES

INTERIM EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

President James Michel has appointed Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne has the Acting Executive Chairman of Air Seychelles for a three-month period, following the resignation of Captain David Savy.

Ambassador Loustau-Lalanne will be holding the post for three months, during which he will be temporarily relinquishing his post of Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs. The Acting Principal Secretary will be Mrs. Jeanette d’Offay.

Ambassador Loustau-Lalanne will also be stepping down temporarily as Chairman of the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, and the interim chairman will be Conrad Mederic, who is a member of the SCAA Board.

During the three-month period, a Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles will be identified, as the post of Executive Chairman will be phased out.

Mr. Garry Albert has been confirmed in the post of Deputy CEO following this decision to restructure Air Seychelles.

Captain Savy was the Executive Chairman of Air Seychelles for the past 14 years and started his career as a pilot thirty years ago. Upon his resignation he expressed his appreciation to President Michel for his support.

“I thank you for your confidence and trust placed in me as Chief Executive for the past fourteen years,” said Mr. Savy in a letter to President Michel upon his departure from Air Seychelles.

David Savy will become an aviation consultant in the Ministry of Transport, and will continue to give a significant contribution towards civil aviation in Seychelles.

“ I thank Captain Savy for his hard work and dedication in his time at Air Seychelles, and I wish him well in his new role of consultant. Air Seychelles has made important progress in the last decade, and will continue to grow in the future, to ensure that it flies the Creole Spirit and wins for Seychelles,” said President Michel.

COMMENT: Is that a sick joke or what? The man has passed his sell by date as the longest serving civil servant! He has been in charge of the airline before and what makes Michel think that he can be a good caretaker in the next three months? Lalanne was booted out of STB as he spent his time playing golf while the numbers to Seychelles dwindled.  Luckily James Michel listened to the trade and appointed St. Ange as CEO. Today we have record numbers over the two years since St. Ange took over. Everyone was expecting Lalanne to get the sack. But NO! He was made ambassador and given the cushy job at Foreign Affairs to hold the hands of rookie minister Adam. Here we go with more musical chairs. One thing is certain. Michel cannot replace David Savy with a foreigner. It will shoot down his eloquent State of the Nation speech. But Lalanne will be there for 3 months...by that time elections will be over and the Air Seychelles CEO will be anyone but a Seychellois.   Perhaps he can call back Conrad Benoito! Or wait, perhaps Michel will bring Dugasse back!

We advocate that Air Seychelles be privatised and we'll see the turnaround that will happen to this airline!!