Rumor- Syrian Airlines planning Venezuela service

[newscaster]

Some one just told me that RB are planning to fly to Caracas with their 747SP, any further info on that?

[Panama Jack]

Any of you in Venezuela hear anything new about this? I asked in a Syrian Air office a few months ago and they said that this was in the plans, but it could still take a while.

[latinaviation]

Is there a market for this? Damascus-Caracas? This ought to drive the US State Dept. mad.

[Panama Jack]

I thought the same when I first read this article, latinaviation, however I have since learned that there is a large Syrian and Middle Eastern group in Venezuela.

About a week ago I stumbled on a pre-9/11 article about Arabs in Honduras-- supposedly Arab immigrants to Honduras make up a sizeable contingent in the San Pedro Sula business community. I never knew.

[luisde8cd]

Don't wanna sound rude, but I have a HUGE QUESTION MARK over my face.

What the hell is this? Syrian Air to CCS? You gotta be kidding me...

Venezuela has an arab community, but it's very small compared to other foreign communities like the ones from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Dom. Rep. Also most of the arabs them are Christians/Catholics from Lebannon. Not Syria.

This is just crazy... completely non-sense. But if it does happen, I would really like to know why they are coming...

[Panama Jack]

Well luisde8cd, maybe that's the answer I was looking for. :D

[latinaviation]

About a week ago I stumbled on a pre-9/11 article about Arabs in Honduras-- supposedly Arab immigrants to Honduras make up a sizeable contingent in the San Pedro Sula business community. I never knew.

Yes, that's true, but still a small percentage of the overall population. I think for Honduras it's around 10%. There is one large Jewish family and a handful of Arab family's that have etensive interests in retail, finance and industrial products, both in San Pedro Sula and Teguicgalpa. There is also a sizeable German population in the commercial shrimping industry.

As Luis pointed out, I was always under the impression most of these families left Lebanon and the likes to flee Christian persecution in the Middle East. There is another Lebanese family that did the same thing, but to Mexico: Carlos Slim Helu.

I had two friends in Texas whose family left Lebanon to Mexico and, eventually, moved to Texas. But it's an interesting cultural point.

Now, down in Brazil, things are different. They do have a large Arab community, especially Lebanese. I think I read somewhere that TAM and MEA had signed a join cooperation or the likes for connections to Beirut via Paris from Sao Paulo.

Interesting times.