Service between Venezuela, Iran and Syria that was provided by state owned carrier CONVIASA has been abruptly canceled in the wake of a media investigation. According to media reports, the cancellation is "amid allegations that the flights were used primarily for transporting spies and terrorists" Over the past 3 years, on every other Tuesday, Conviasa Flight 3744 would be moved to a loading dock isolated in the Simon Bolivar Airport in Caracas for service to Damascus and then on to Tehran. The reports say that the flights were not subject "to normal departure procedures," such as passport control, nor could just anyone buy a ticket and travel on the route. Unlike other flights that Conviasa operates, callers trying to book a seat on Flight 3744, which was codeshared with IRAN AIR as Flight 744, were sent to a cell phone in Argentina, instead of the Caracas office of Conviasa. Passengers onboard also had to be approved by the Venezuelan or Iranian government. According to the reports, officials in the US and Israel believed that without passport controls, flight manifests and other documents, the operation of the service meant some of the world's most dangerous men could travel without fear of being uncovered. The Venezuelan ambassador to the United States has denied that there was anything mysterious about the flights.
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