Avianca resumes flights to Venezuela after six years

Avianca reestablished its flights in Venezuela by reconnecting San José (SJO), Costa Rica, with Maiquetia International Airport (CCS), which serves Caracas, after a six-year absence.

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The company, operating through its Costa Rican subsidiary, will have three flights per week in Airbus A320neo, with capacity for 180 passengers, for an offer of 1,080 seats per week.

The reopening of this route not only extends the international reach of Juan Santamaría International Airport, which serves San José, to 39 destinations, but also facilitates connections to avianca’s extensive network, allowing connections to Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.

However, the company clarifies that, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation directives, air transportation services between Venezuela and the United States remain unavailable.

Schedule of Avianca flights to Caracas

• San José – Caracas flight AV 669 CCS 11:00 – 15:50 SJO / Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
• Caracas – San José flight AV 668 SJO 17:20 – 18:05 CCS / Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

*Schedules expressed in local time.

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Prior to 2017, Avianca operated flights to Caracas from Bogota, Lima and San Jose. The suspension of services was attributed to operational safety concerns and repatriation challenges: the latter factor remains unresolved.

Several international airlines are gradually re-establishing their presence in Venezuela. Currently, Air Europa, Boliviana de Aviación, Caribbean Airlines, Copa Airlines, Iberia, LATAM, Plus Ultra, Sky High Aviation Services, Turkish Airlines, TAP Portugal and Wingo operate regularly in Caracas.

Domestic airlines, including Avior Airlines, ConViasa, Estelar, LASER, RUTACA, Turpial and Venezolana de Aviación, also offer international flights to destinations such as Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic and others.

What about Avianca’s flights between Bogota and Caracas?

In response to a query from Aviacionline, Avianca expressed its willingness to resume the iconic Bogota-Caracas route pending the completion of certain requirements with the Venezuelan National Civil Aviation Institute.

It should be noted that, as of late November, Avianca is not among the airlines approved by the Venezuelan aviation authority for operations between both capitals, following a reciprocity agreement between Colombia and Venezuela. For the time being, the airlines approved to operate Caracas-Bogota include Avior, LASER, LATAM and Wingo.