Venezuela’s flag carrier Conviasa made a far-fetched announcement on Friday, saying it will begin flying between Caracas International Airport (CCS) and Damascus International Airport (DAM) shortly.

What an odd-looking route

Conviasa is well known for launching odd international routes flying to destinations that seem more to be selected from a political point of view rather than an operational standpoint. On Friday, the Venezuelan State carrier continued with this trend, announcing it will begin flying to Damascus, Syria.

On social media, Conviasa announced it will soon have a new destination in the Middle East. “We are going to Damascus, Syria, from Caracas. More information at conviasa.aero.”

There is no further information about this operation. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t be the first time Conviasa flies to Syria. As reported by Aviacionline, Conviasa operated the Caracas-Damascus-Tehran route in 2012, although it was a short-lived service since load factors were extremely low. Other odd destinations that Conviasa has operated in the past include Moscow, Belgrade, Lagos, Algiers, and Guangzhou.

Conviasa’s international connectivity in March

According to its website, Conviasa will operate seven international routes in March. The Venezuelan flag carrier will fly to Russia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.

Between Russia and Venezuela, Conviasa will operate seven flights this month. There are scheduled three Caracas-Moscow services, two from Moscow to Porlamar and two from Moscow to Caracas. To St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Conviasa will operate two flights this month.

Conviasa has two destinations in Mexico: Cancun and Mexico City’s Felipe Ángeles. Conviasa operates three weekly flights to Cancun on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Meanwhile, to Mexico City, it flies only on Tuesdays.

A Conviasa Airbus A340-600
Photo: Telsek/Shutterstock.

Finally, to Managua, Nicaragua, Conviasa has scheduled three weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, and to Lima, it has scheduled three monthly flights.

Despite not flying to Iran or Cuba at the moment –according to Conviasa’s published schedule– the airline continues to promote traveling to Havana and Tehran on social media.

Most of the services offered by Conviasa follow a political point of view, particularly Russia, Iran, Cuba, and Nicaragua, all allies of the current government.

Conviasa’s long-haul fleet

If Conviasa does launch its service to Damascus, Syria, the airline would definitely employ its Airbus A340 fleet. According to ch-aviation, the Venezuelan carrier has three A340s, one A340-300, and two A340-600s.

The A340-300, registration YV3507, is a 25-year-old widebody jet. It has the capacity to carry 255 passengers in a three-class configuration (219 seats in economy, 28 in business, and eight in first). The A340-600s are 21 and 20 years old, respectively. Their registration numbers are YV3533 and YV3535. They can carry 308 passengers in a three-class configuration (225 seats in economy, 38 in premium economy, and 45 in business).

The flag carrier has 22 aircraft in its fleet. It also operates an Airbus ACJ319-100, an ATR 42-400, a Boeing 737-200, 15 Embraer ERJ 190, and one Lineage 1000, according to ch-aviation.

What do you think about this new route announced by Conviasa? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Aviacionline, ch-aviation.

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