Air Seychelles's newest aircraft will highlight conservation when it takes to the skies in March this year.
The single-aisle aircraft will be called the PTI Merl Dezil – the Creole name for the endangered Seychelles warbler.
It will be the airline's second Airbus A320neo. The jet offers more environmentally focused flying with fuel-saving wingtip devices.
@air_seychelles' second #Airbus #a320neo, to be delivered next month, will be named 'Pti Merl Dezil', #creole for the #Seychelles Warbler, one of the #islands' rare #endemic #birds. Image credits to Air Seychelles and @NatureSey https://t.co/dWhCS4ezqF pic.twitter.com/WU7NUKFClF
— Ronny Jumeau (@ronny_jumeau) February 11, 2020
Registered as S7-PTI, PTI Merl Dezil puts one of the country's bird species in the spotlight.
In 1968, there were only 29 Seychelles warblers left in the country. Today, thanks to conservation efforts, there are about 3,000 of the brown-feathered birds.
The aircraft's name is designed to highlight the country's unique ecosystem and the importance of protecting it.
The long-legged Seychelles warbler now lives on five of the country's islands. It flourishes on Cousin Island, which was designated as a nature reserve in 1968. The bird is still endangered but was reclassified as Near Threatened in 2014.
"As visitors are becoming more aware of the impact of climate change, naming our second A320neo aircraft after one of the Seychelles's critically endangered birds will further allow our guests to be aware of the continuous efforts being done locally to safeguard the Seychelles environment for generations to come," said Remco Althuis, Air Seychelles's chief executive.
It's not the first time Air Seychelles has put conservation in the spotlight. The airline's first Airbus A320neo is called Veuve after the Seychelles paradise flycatcher, the most critically endangered bird on the islands.
