Seychelles - Transportation

Until the opening of the international airport on Mahé in 1971, the Seychelles Islands were entirely dependent on the sea for their links with the rest of the world. Until 1970, passenger and cargo service by ship was irregular; in the early 1970s, however, new deepwater facilities were dredged at Victoria Harbor. Private ferries connect Mahé to Praslin and La Digue.

The road network totaled an estimated 280 km (174 mi) in 2002, of which 176 km (109 mi) were paved. One road encircles the island, and another runs across the island by way of the central mountain ridge. There were 5,100 automobiles, and 2,000 commercial vehicles in 1995.

In 2001 there were an estimated 14 airports, 7 of which had paved runways. Seychelles International Airport is at Pointe Larue on Mahé. Flights to London, Zurich, Frankfurt, and Rome are in service via Air Seychelles, the national carrier. Air France's scheduled flights connect Seychelles with Europe. In 2001, 420,000 passengers were carried on scheduled domestic and international flights. Ligne Aérienne Seychelles (LAS), a private line, ran charter flights to Australia, Singapore, Botswana, and Malawi.