A Gulf carrier just opened a door to Caracas that Washington spent years trying to keep shut.
However, this is not a leisure route – far from it. There are two missions, first, connecting the world to Venezuela again, and the other way around; and second, the vast oil business connections between the Middle East and the world’s largest oil reserves. This could not have been possible before due to sanctions.
The two cities are both new to Qatar (though other destinations in South America are not) and the frequencies are low. Still, Qatar might have opened Bogota without Caracas but it makes sense to add it for a few reasons. Practically, it helps because it’s a very long flight back to Qatar, and Bogota’s elevation makes the heavy fuel a challenge, running just to Caracas light on fuel and then refilling (in a very cheap country for petroleum) is a logistical no brainer. It also allows Qatar to test the waters with a higher likelihood of filling seats.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
