TEHRAN – Iran’s Mahan Air has launched direct flights between Tehran and the Venezuelan capital Caracas, Mehr reported.

The route was launched in the early hours of Monday, and the plane will carry foreign ministry officials to Caracas, the news agency quoted the spokesman of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization Reza Jafarzadeh as saying.

Jafarzadeh said that a delegation from Mahan Air was also traveling to Caracas to discuss maintaining regular flights between the two countries.

He noted that the plane took off with the Iranian foreign minister's aide and the director of the Foreign Ministry Department for the Americas, Mohsen Baharvand, and his delegation on board, who are set to hold political talks with the Venezuelan officials on the current situation in the South American country.

The non-stop Tehran-Caracas flight will take 16 hours.

The privately-owned Mahan Air was established in 1992 and it has reportedly the country’s largest fleet of aircraft.

AFM/MQ/MG