Conviasa waves off US sanctions, plans new routes

Venezuela's state-owned airline Conviasa is dismissing the impact of new US sanctions, but local airlines chamber ALAV says the move could thwart critical overseas maintenance for its fleet.

The US government's "illegal, arbitrary measures seek to smother the Venezuelan people's right to unrestricted travel and hurt Conviasa's commercial operations, including important humanitarian programs to repatriate Venezuelan refugees stranded in other countries and transport Venezuelan patients requiring specialized medical treatment not available in Venezuela," Conviasa president and air force colonel Ramon Velasquez said in a statement.

Conviasa and its 39 aircraft were sanctioned by the US on the grounds that President Nicolas Maduro uses the carrier for political purposes, including transport of government officials to countries such as Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

The sanctions imposed on 7 February block US companies and nationals from any commercial operations with Conviasa and its aircraft such as chartering, contracting, refueling, repairing, leasing or purchasing aircraft, barring authorized exceptions.

Velasquez denied that Conviasa is used for political ends but confirmed that its longer-range aircraft are chartered by the government for "legitimate reasons of state" such as official overseas visits.

Conviasa is Venezuela's leading and safest domestic carrier because its fleet is newer and better maintained than that of its competitors, Velasquez said.

He said the sanctions will not disrupt the company's foreign routes, including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.

The carrier's 2020 expansion plans include resuming weekly flights to Buenos Aires in Argentina this month and relaunching weekly service to Damascus in March for the first time since 2012 using its A340-200 long-range aircraft that recently was repatriated from Iran where it underwent major repairs, Velasquez said.

Conviasa also plans new destinations, including Algeria, Angola, Canada, Iran, Portugal and South Africa, he added.

A senior ALAV official said Conviasa has a sizable fleet for a regional carrier, but at least a third of its aircraft is grounded and the sanctions could block access to service centers such as Brazil where its E190s undergo maintenance not available in Venezuela.

Critics say the new US sanctions, the latest in a suite of sanctions aimed at unseating Maduro, punish ordinary Venezuelans by limiting safe transport options.

Other carriers that service Venezuela include Wingo, Avior and Copa.