Following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the first flight from Venezuela to Colombia began this Monday (7) after direct air links were suspended for more than two years.

Boeing, owned by the private Venezuelan airline Turpial, departed from Maiquetía international airport serving Caracas at 17:30 local time (GMT 19:30).

The company’s stand was decorated with flags of Venezuela and Colombia, as well as yellow, blue and red balloons representing both countries.

Turpial, a small airline company founded in the city of Valencia in 2016, currently also operates international flights to Panama and Santo Domingo.

Initially, Venezuela tried to maintain this link through the state-owned Conviasa, but US financial sanctions made this impossible.

Colombian state-owned Satena will take its first international flight to Maiquetía this Wednesday. As early as 28 November, a new Barranquilla-Caracas route will open.

The resumption of flights comes after bilateral relations improved with Gustavo Petro’s rise to power in Colombia. In 2019, Ivan Duque’s previous government was broken by its lack of recognition of Nicolás Maduro’s re-election due to his support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

The first flight was scheduled for September 26, but there was a delay due to the situation at Conviasa.