The Venezuelan airline Conviasa made an unusual trip back to Caracas from Managua carrying only one passenger, Korean TikToker Lim Jae Jun, who shared his unique experience on social media. Lim, who boasts over two million followers on his TikTok account Cocococococoloco, expressed feeling somewhat fearful during the four-hour flight to Caracas. This route typically sees a diverse crowd of travelers, but in the opposite direction, heading to Nicaragua.
This flight is part of the Caracas, Havana, Managua route operated by Conviasa since May 5, with flights every Tuesday and Sunday. It is highly sought after by migrants traveling to Nicaragua without a return ticket, solely intending to cross the border into the United States. Despite the surge in travelers heading to Nicaragua, the return flights to Venezuela generally come back almost empty, a situation that has sparked various speculations on social media.
"Nicaragua and Venezuela. Just one passenger... Isn't that unprofitable? There must be some surprise luggage!" commented one of Lim's followers on TikTok. Another person responded, "It's packed with migrants at ridiculous prices heading to Nicaragua, but returns empty and they don’t care, the profit has already been made."
The governments of Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba have been allies for decades. They have strengthened this air route amidst an unprecedented migration crisis in the region. The United States government approved sanctions in February aimed at transportation companies that facilitate the entry of irregular immigrants into Nicaragua. The State Department highlighted in a statement that the new measures target owners, executives, and senior officials of air, land, and maritime transport companies.
The statement emphasized the intention to discourage the exploitation of vulnerable migrants, who are often victims of abusive pricing and risk their lives trying to reach U.S. soil. The peculiar situation of Lim Jae Jun's flight to Caracas underscores the dynamics of current migration and hints at potential political interests behind the operations of airlines in the region.