Ronald Casso, the former general manager of Boliviana de Aviación (BoA), spent the night in cells of the Special Force to Fight Crime (FELCC) in La Paz. He awaits a hearing regarding the alleged financial damages inflicted on the Bolivian state due to the national airline's flights to Havana.
Casso was apprehended in Cochabamba on Wednesday and, handcuffed, was transported under police custody to the government headquarters. This comes as part of the investigation known as "The Havana Route," a case that has uncovered massive losses linked to the unsuccessful air connection between Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cuba, as reported by local outlet Correo del Sur.
The prosecution accuses him of economic misconduct and dereliction of duty for operations carried out between October 2023 and July 2024, which reportedly led to losses exceeding 18.4 million bolivianos, equivalent to about 2.6 million dollars.
"Mr. Ronald Casso is under arrest and will be brought before a judge with a formal charge resolution during the day," stated prosecutor Walter Lora, as reported by Unitel Digital.
The investigation also involves former Public Works Minister Édgar Montaño and former members of BoA's board who approved the air route. According to Lora, all are included in the complaint filed by the Vice Ministry of Transparency.
Montaño is already in preventive detention at the San Pedro prison in La Paz for another case related to alleged irregularities in the construction of the El Sillar road segment between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz.
The economic damage is divided into two components: 14.4 million bolivianos from operational losses due to low flight occupancy and another 4 million from currency exchange operations deemed irregular.
The investigation claims that BoA purchased dollars on the parallel market at 17.5 bolivianos per unit, far above the official exchange rate of 6.96, in addition to paying a 10% commission to intermediaries.
Authorities further alleged that the airline physically transported 11.8 million bolivianos in cash to Havana, bypassing the international banking system.
Controversial Route and Economic Blow
The scandal originated from the route inaugurated in October 2023 as part of the "regional integration" agenda promoted by then-President Luis Arce. The flights, operated with a Boeing 737-800 with a capacity for 168 passengers, lacked a technical report or profitability study to justify the route's opening, according to the Vice Ministry of Transparency.
Instead of a feasibility analysis, management presented a document justifying the operations due to Arce's "presidential commitment," as revealed by the investigation.
The lack of passengers turned the connection with Cuba into a financial disaster. On November 30, 2023, a flight took off with just 17 passengers; on February 22, 2024, with 22; and on September 19 of the same year, with only 11 on board.
Investigations showed that the 36 flights operated with an average occupancy of 60 passengers on the outbound and 74 on the return, less than half the aircraft's capacity.
The Vice Ministry of Transparency claimed that the route was established for "ideological reasons," ignoring internal warnings from BoA's board about the lack of economic viability.
BoA ultimately suspended flights to Cuba in July 2024, just nine months after their inauguration, following continuous financial losses.
By August 2025, Janira Román, a deputy from Comunidad Ciudadana, had denounced that the state airline spent over 2.5 million dollars on routes to Cuba and Venezuela, with 2.1 million linked to operations with Cuba, primarily for airport services.
On April 21, 2026, the Vice Ministry of Transparency filed a criminal complaint against six former officials, with Casso's arrest marking the first effective apprehension in the case.
The launch of direct flights between Bolivia and Cuba was initially touted as a diplomatic achievement by the MAS government. However, it ended as one of the most significant scandals of alleged corruption and waste of public resources in recent years, with millions of dollars poured into an air route that never achieved commercial sustainability.
Key Questions About Boliviana de Aviación's Financial Scandal
What led to Ronald Casso's arrest?
Ronald Casso was arrested due to his alleged involvement in causing significant financial losses to the Bolivian state through mismanagement of BoA's flights to Cuba.
How much did BoA lose on the Cuba flights?
The operations reportedly resulted in losses of over 18.4 million bolivianos, approximately 2.6 million dollars.
Why were the flights to Cuba not successful?
The flights suffered from low occupancy and lacked a technical or profitability study to justify their operation, making them economically unviable.