The decision by the United States to restrict visas for individuals involved in charter flights arriving in Nicaragua with irregular migrants, who then continue their journey north by land, reduced trips from various Caribbean islands but not those coming from Europe.
Over the weekend, the international airport in Managua set a historical record by receiving, for the first time, two direct flights from Europe, believed to carry African migrants heading to the United States.
The first flight arrived in Managua on Saturday, December 9th, at 8:37 p.m. It departed from the Châlons Vatry International Airport in France and was operated by Legend Airlines, based in Romania. This airline leases aircraft and operates charter flights using its fleet of Airbus A-340, which, according to technical specifications, is one of the commercial airplanes with the longest range and can carry up to 359 passengers.
The second flight arrived in Managua at 2:30 a.m. on December 10th. It departed from Kirchberg, Germany, and was operated by the newly established German airline Universal Sky Carrier (USC). This company exclusively focuses on charter flights and recently acquired its first Airbus A340-300 with a capacity for 253 passengers.
Direct charter flights from Europe
It’s worth noting that, to encourage the arrival of tourists from the old continent, for several years, stakeholders in the tourism sector struggled to open a direct route between Europe and Managua. Before 2018, these efforts began to bear fruit when the Spanish airline Iberia considered resuming its flights to Managua after 14 years of departure. However, in August of that year, they cited lack of demand as the reason for suspending the route.
Therefore, Nicaragua lacks direct connections to Europe. Travelers to and from the old continent to Nicaragua usually have to make stops in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, or Panama. Given this lack of direct flights, the arrival of charters over the weekend is considered historic.
Why is it historic? “From a technical standpoint for aviation enthusiasts, it marks the first time we have simultaneously scheduled two flights from Europe and three operations of Airbus A340-200/300 family aircraft within a 16-hour period. For those of us who monitor air traffic daily, this represents a milestone,” wrote the Aviación en Nicaragua Group on their Facebook account.
They announce the arrival of charter flights
Besides providing the technical explanation, Aviación en Nicaragua shared photographs of the aircraft on the runway at Managua’s international airport. They also confirmed that both were carrying passenger charter flights. The third Airbus they referred to was from the commercial flight operated by the Venezuelan airline Conviasa, which covers the Havana-Managua route daily.
Meanwhile, the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport in Managua displayed the arrival data for both flights on the terminal screen but did not show their departure information. However, Aviación Nicaragua shared photos of both aircraft departing on Sunday, returning on direct flights to their respective countries.
“On the remote platform, the two Airbus A340-300 from USC and Legend Airlines, which will be returning to their respective destinations in France and Germany this afternoon, directly,” announced the group on Sunday, December 10th.
“We never had charter flights from Europe,” says a tourism entrepreneur
Moreover, these are not the only airlines arriving in Managua on direct flights from Europe. Recently, the Portugal-based airline EuroAtlantic celebrated on its social media its first direct flight between Lisbon and Managua. This company also specializes in charter flights and other special services.
According to sources close to the tourism sector, who prefer not to be identified for fear of reprisals, the fact that these flights only drop off passengers and return empty hours after arrival confirms that they bring migrants who will follow a different route from Managua. If they were bringing tourists, it would be cheaper for the company to wait for them rather than return for them another day.
“I haven’t heard anything from any agency organizing charters from Europe with actual tourists. It’s possible they are migrants because the only charter flights arriving in Nicaragua with tourists were from Canada. We’ve never had charters from Europe,” stated a tourism sector entrepreneur.
The presence of Africans is increasing
Additionally, for several weeks, the presence of Africans at Managua’s international airport has been growing. In the early days of November, the increasing demand for tickets from Europe, South America, and other countries with passengers heading to Managua forced Avianca to restrict ticket sales. However, every day, at least four Avianca flights from El Salvador continue to arrive in Managua, with evident presence of Africans traveling from Europe with layovers in El Salvador.
In a recent monitoring conducted by LA PRENSA, it was determined that an average of around forty Africans arrive on each flight, mostly young men with light luggage. After completing the immigration check process, they purchase SIM cards for their phones and leave the airport to hire taxis authorized by the authorities to transport them to northern border posts in the country, from where they cross into Honduras to continue their journey towards the United States.
The taxis that transport them are the ones permitted to remain within the airport. Drivers communicate with the Africans through translation apps downloaded on their mobile phones. The cost of transportation from Managua to the border area is around $50 per person, and once the price is agreed upon, they begin the journey.
These movements align with reports from the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN), detailing that between 2022 and August 2023, approximately 500 thousand individuals have entered Nicaragua by air but have not departed by plane; instead, they have continued their journey towards the United States by land.
