Conviasa has taken delivery of an Airbus A340-300. The plane officially arrived on December 31st in Caracas, Venezuela after being reconditioned and painted in Tehran, Iran.
High hopes
According to Aviaciaonline, registration YV-3507 was previously operated by the Venezuelan private airline Avior. This unit joins registration YV1004, an A340-200 already in Conviasa’s fleet.
The state-owned airline has ambitious plans to open up travel to Europe and Asia with its widebodies once conditions get better amid the pandemic. Vice Minister of Air Transport and president of Conviasa Ramón Velásquez Araguayá said last month that following route launches to Moscow and Tehran, the carrier will head to the likes of Italy, Portugal, and China.
According to Planespotters.net, YV3507 is 23.2 years old and made its first flight on October 28th, 1997. The plane’s first operator was Air China in November 1999 before heading to Cathay Pacific in 1999. However, it returned to its first operator in October 2001. Airbus eventually took the plane back in July 2016 before Avior flew with it from the Autumn of that year.
Representing the country
Conviasa’s seeds were planted in May 2001 and it was formally created in March 2004. The carrier’s name is an acronym of Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronáuticas y Servicios Aéreos Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautics Industries and Air Services) and it is based at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, near Venezuela’s capital of Caracas.
The airline’s mission is to grow the presence of Venezuela’s aviation industry across the country and other nations. It is intent on expanding with its operations.
“Strengthen the capacity of the Venezuelan aeronautical industry based on the integration of nations, contributing to the social and sustainable development of the homeland with a view to a multipolar multicenter system through highly trained and committed personnel,” the airline says on its website.
“Consolidate ourselves as a leading company in Latin America and the Caribbean in the provision of aeronautical services, complying with the highest national and international standards of environmental management, safety and quality, framed in the Strategic Plan of the Nation.”
Looking ahead
Conviasa is also planning to take on three Airbus A340-500s. These planes will play a part in the airline’s expansion goals. Moreover, the firm is looking for pilots, highlighting its optimism this year. Quadjets such as the A340 are gradually being phased out by several commercial airlines in favor of more modern, efficient solutions. However, Conviasa is putting its faith in the type to help it on its mission.
What are your thoughts about Conviasa’s Airbus A340 aircraft? Do you think that another delivery of the series is a good move for the airline? Let us know what you think of the move in the comment section.
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