On October 31 Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) began non-stop flights between Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Maiquetia International Airport. On April 20 2023 the airline received authorization to fly to Venezuela by complying with all the requirements and safety standards established in the Air Transport Agreement.
Present at the celebration of the inaugural flight were the Minister of Tourism Alí Padrón, the Vice Minister of Air Transport, GB. Freddy Borges, the Chancellor of Bolivia, Rogelio Mayta, the President of the National Institute of Civil Aeronautics (INAC), Col. Leonardo Briceño Dudamel and the Executive Secretary of ALBA, Felix Plasencia.
Flight OB 1718 was operated in a Boeing 737 registered as CP-3204. The aircraft departed Viru Viru International Airport at 08:35 local time and arrived at Simon Bolivar International Airport at 12:58, after 4 hours and 23 minutes.
«We hope that it will be a cultural gateway for our countries, that Bolivia will feel that its gateway to the Caribbean, its direct access to the sea is at Maiquetia Airport, through this flight and that it will additionally allow a greater commercial exchange in the development of our economies in the interconnection of our economies«, Ronald Casso, general manager of BoA.
In 2022, BoA began an international expansion with non-stop service to Lima, and this year the airline is expanding its offerings with new routes to Caracas, Havana and Asunción. The airline’s schedule also includes service to Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Madrid, Miami, Sao Paulo-Guarulhos, Miami and Madrid.
BoA schedules and frequencies to Caracas and Havana
- Santa Cruz de la Sierra – Caracas Flight OB 1718 VVI 20:10 – 00:30 (+1) CCS / Tuesday.
- Caracas – Santa Cruz de la Sierra Flight OB 1711 CCS 02:00 – 06:20 VVI / Wednesday.
The route is operated on Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a capacity of 168 seats that have renovated cabins and promotional fares are available from 472 USD. This new service will offer seamless connections to Lima, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, including access to other destinations such as Madrid and Miami.
See also: BoA Launches First Regular Flight to Miami with New Airbus A330-200