Conviasa flight to SVG marks a milestone for Latin America

Venezuelan airline. Conviasa’s inaugural commercial flight to St Vincent and the Grenadines this week marks a milestone in connecting Latin America with the rest of the Caribbean.

Ribbon cutting ceremony for Conviasa airline on arrival at the Argyle International Airport. From left: An employee of Conviasa, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves (partly hidden), Raúl Li Causi – Deputy Minister for the Caribbean in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela, Ramón Celestino Velázquez – Conviasa’s president, and another Conviasa official

This is according to Raúl Li Causi, the vice minister for the Caribbean in Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who delivered remarks on behalf of the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela at the welcome and air service agreement signing ceremony on Tuesday, April 26.

“It’s actually a cheap flight that makes it possible for us in Venezuela to come to a world class destination as St Vincent and the Grenadines for a very affordable price, and it will also give an opportunity for the people in St Vincent, not only to go to Venezuela and…all the potentialities our country has to offer, but also to connect with the world,” Li Causi said.

Conviasa Airlines touched down at the Argyle International Airport (AIA) after midday on Tuesday. Among the passengers on board was Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves who was returning from the South American country after travelling there to seek medical attention in mid-April.

The airline’s arrival was met with a dance presentation by the La Gracia Dance Company on the airport’s tarmac to welcome the passengers to the state.

Li Causi, who is also the president of the ALBA Bank said the fight will give Venezuelans an opportunity to utilise the AIA as a hub to connect with the north of the continent and Europe.

And similarly, it will also give Vincentians a chance to connect with Cuba and countries in Latin America.

“Things that look very expensive to do, things that look very difficult to do right now, are going to be possible with this flight,” he said, adding that the introduction of this route is a part of the Venezuelan government’s continued efforts to interconnect countries from Latin America with the Caribbean.

“This is why it is an important milestone. We cannot see it as something isolating, we cannot see it as just a regular flight between Venezuela and St Vincent and the Grenadines. This is a connection between Latin America and the Caribbean as has been the dream of our leaders,” Li Causi said.

Vice minister of air transport and president of Conviasa airlines, Ramón Celestino Velázquez in his remarks on Tuesday, noted that the airline will fly direct to SVG weekly on Saturday’s.

Arrival of Conviasa flight at the Argyle International Airport

Velázquez said the airline was created in 2004 by former Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, and has since experienced constant expansion.

With this direct weekly flight, SVG becomes the airline’s 14th destination.

“In just one hour and 15 minutes, passengers can be in Caracas or in St Vincent and the Grenadines in a flight that is very short and very comfortable. Our airline offers the possibility for passengers who are from St Vincent and the Grenadines, to travel to Central America, America and Europe and also give the opportunity to the passengers from St Vincent and the Grenadines to travel to Caracas and then to Europe, soon to be Qatar, Africa and other countries,” the airline president said.

He added that once the flight reaches an 80 per cent capacity, another frequent flight will be added, increasing travel from Venezuela to SVG to twice per week.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Doha, Qatar and it is expected that Conviasa will be flying to the destination.

Prime minister Gonsalves said, “I am absolutely sure that a number of football lovers are going to take Conviasa from Argyle to Caracas and then to Doha in Qatar during the World Cup”.

Dance performance Canaima by Luis Mariano Rivero dance group

Commenting on the price of Conviasa’s flight, he said it will likely be cheaper to take this route during the World Cup.

He also noted that, “If you can get a flight in today’s world from Argyle to Caracas return for around US$300, I say we’re doing very well”.

Gonsalves told persons present on Tuesday that the AIA would not have been possible without the assistance of Venezuela’s former president, Hugo Chavez.
He said, “we are always grateful to those who have assisted us in making this impossible dream come true”.