Venezuela is one of several countries that have offered asylum to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. But it's not a done deal. One challenge: Getting from Moscow, Russia to South America. Below are some potential routes Snowden could take out of Russia.

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The commercial option Snowden could simply board a commercial flight, such as an Aeroflot route from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, and then on to Caracas.



However, this route typically flies over North American airspace -- meaning the plane could be forced to land by the U.S. or a U.S.-friendly nation.

The other commercial option This is the same commercial flight mentioned above, but a different route that Aeroflot sometimes uses from Moscow to Havana, Cuba.



This route adds a few hundred nautical miles to the flight, and passes over some Western European countries, including Germany and France -- but it avoids British, Canadian, and more importantly, U.S. airspace.

The non-confrontational route Snowden could charter a private flight that would take him on a much longer route over the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. It's certainly not the most efficient route, but it does avoid entering United States or U.S.-friendly airspace.



Very few aircraft are capable of making this trip without refueling, which means it would be among the more expensive of options.

Through the Middle East, Africa A route could be taken to a country in the Middle East, such as Syria, or another country friendly to Russia.



But the plane would then need to fly a route over Africa, countries divided between friendly relations with either the United States or Russia.