Summary
- First direct flight between Venezuela and China launched, with stopovers in Havana and Moscow, promoting tourism and strengthening ties.
- New flight to facilitate travel for the Venezuelan Chinese community and enhance bilateral relations in tourism and economy.
- The Cuban leader once rented a Conviasa Airbus A340 aircraft for a visit to China.
On June 30th, at 11:50 AM, a Conviasa Airbus A340 aircraft from Venezuela’s capital arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN), marking the official opening of the first direct flight between Venezuela and China. This also signifies the first passenger route from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport to South America.
The previous day, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil attended the inaugural ceremony in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. He also posted on social media that this route aims to promote tourism and strengthen the connection between the people of Venezuela and China. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Venezuela and China.
At the promotional event held in Guangzhou, Venezuelan Ambassador to China Giuseppe Yoffreda stated that a significant portion of the Venezuelan Chinese community hails from Guangdong Province. The newly launched flight from Caracas to Guangzhou will facilitate travel for these individuals. He mentioned that Venezuela is signing a tourism cooperation agreement with China, designing various travel routes for Chinese tourists.
Photo: Conviasa
Qi Yaoming, Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, stated that Guangdong Province is China’s largest economic province, and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is one of China’s three major international aviation hubs. Conviasa Airlines’ choice of Guangzhou as its Chinese destination will provide more convenient options for business, cultural exchanges, tourism, and family visits between the two regions, further promoting the flow of goods. Additionally, Guangzhou’s extensive and dense network of domestic, Southeast Asian, and Oceania routes can provide more efficient and high-quality connections for the airline’s network expansion.
New air route connecting four countries
Conviasa Airlines has set two stopovers for this route between Caracas and Guangzhou: Havana, Cuba, and Moscow, Russia. This creates an aviation link between these four friendly nations.
Photo: FR24 / Su Wu
According to information released by Conviasa, the route is expected to begin commercial operations in October this year. Porlamar, an island off Venezuela, could potentially become another stopover point.
For the inaugural flight last weekend, Conviasa used the youngest of its six Airbus A340s, an A340-600 registered as YV3545. This aircraft was first delivered in October 2002 and previously served with Iran’s Mahan Air.
Conviasa currently owns six Airbus A340 aircraft, including two A340-200s, one A340-300, and three A340-600s.
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Conviasa and its connection to China
As early as 2022, reports surfaced that Conviasa planned to open a route from Caracas to Guangzhou, with Tehran, Iran, as the initially agreed-upon stopover.
In November 2022, Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba, made a state visit to China. Before arriving in Beijing, the Cuban leader had visited Algeria, Russia, and Turkey. Interestingly, for this trip, the Cuban leader flew on an Airbus A340-600 (registration number: YV3535) rented from Conviasa Airlines.
Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock
Additionally, before officially launching the Guangzhou route, Conviasa Airlines had made multiple trips to China during the COVID-19 pandemic to procure necessary medical supplies, especially vaccines. This route will also make Conviasa Airlines the only South American airline to provide regular passenger flights to Guangzhou.
What do you think of this new route? Is its political significance greater than its economic significance? Please share your thoughts with Simple Flying.