Air Mauritius commemorated its 50 years of air services to Rodrigues at an official ceremony held at Plaine Corail Airport this afternoon. The Honourable Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues, Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity was the Chief Guest at the ceremony.
On 13 September 1972, five years after its creation, Air Mauritius, was ready for its first take-off and made history as its first commercial flight landed safely in Rodrigues. It was operated by a 6-seater, twin-engine Piper Navajo aircraft, leased from Air Madagascar. This event marked the beginning of a great adventure for an airline that would fly an island nation to the world and back.
In his address at the function, the Chairman of Air Mauritius, Mr Marday Venketasamy, G.O.S.K, C.S.K, stated that ‘The Rodrigues route is served with 3 ATR72-500 aircraft, while we await runway developments at Plaine Corail Airport to consider deployment of bigger sized aircraft. We are proud that for the past decades we have been connecting Rodriguans to Mauritius and beyond via the Air Mauritius network. In order to meet our customers’ expectations, our inflight services to and from Rodrigues are currently being reviewed. For the Rodriguan tourism industry to thrive, we need to provide all facilities as well as regular and safe air connectivity. In order to boost tourism, Air Mauritius, with the support of Government, offers a Special Holiday Package to the destination.’
The Prime Minister then proceeded to unveil a commemorative plaque. A ‘Bois Clou’, a critically endangered plant endemic to Rodrigues was symbolically planted at Plaine Corail Airport by the Prime Minister. The Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues, Mr Johnson Roussety, G.O.S.K. and the Chairman of Air Mauritius, Mr Marday Venketasamy G.O.S.K., C.S.K, also planted two other endangered endemic trees to Rodrigues namely the ‘Bois Balai’ (Turraea laciniate) and the ‘Bois Bouteille’ (Fernelia Buxifolia) respectively, in the presence of members of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly and other dignitaries.
Communications & Corporate Affairs, 16th Floor, Air Mauritius Centre President John F. Kennedy Street, Port-Louis, Republic of Mauritius T (230) 2077070 F (230) 2023314 e-mail: [email protected]
