In Santo Domingo, the president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), Héctor Porcella, announced that the open skies agreement with the United States is established to be implemented at the beginning of the next year. This follows its acceptance by both the National Congress and the Constitutional Court.
Porcella emphasized the potential advantages of this agreement, particularly for enhancing the country’s trade and tourism on a global scale. He also drew attention to the fact that apart from Venezuela and Cuba, the Dominican Republic was the only nation in Latin America without an open skies contract with the United States.
He mentioned that the Dominican State had been attempting to establish this arrangement with the United States for over 25 years, but without success until President Luis Abinader, the Minister of Tourism David Collado, and the country’s aeronautical authorities made it a reality. “We already have 70 similar agreements with various countries, just not specifically with our primary political, economic, and tourism partner, the United States of America.” he stated.
Currently, the expectation is for the agreement to receive approval from the Constitutional Court and the Republic’s Congress, which will create the conditions to enhance the country’s aviation connectivity and eradicate certain restrictions that hinder airlines of Dominican registration from travelling to any US destination.
Advancement of Other Open Skies Agreements
Porcella disclosed that the following week, the country’s aeronautical authorities will head to Malaysia for a key meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAN-ICAO 2024), intending to progress an additional ten agreements with equal numbers of nations.
He shared that open skies contracts with Argentina and multiple African countries are expected to be signed soon. Additionally, he revealed that the Dominican Republic, as one of the major international civil aviation hubs, will be the host for ICAN-ICAO 2025 next year. He reiterated the importance of having a competitive aviation system to achieve sustainable growth as the Dominican Republic, being an island and one of the top tourist destinations in Latin America, ranking second after Mexico.
Porcella outlined that airlines of the country, currently experiencing dynamic growth, would have ample facilities to set up new routes to various American cities, as a result of the agreement with the United States. This would notably bolster the local aeronautical fleet.
Discussing the advantages for Dominicans living in the US, he said that the agreement would lead to lowered ticket fares as a result of enlarged market offerings. He mentioned that the government’s efforts, such as reducing aviation fuel tax by 50%, are aimed at making it easier for air operators and further expanding these offerings.
Porcella expressed these views on the nation’s civil aviation matters in an interview on the TV show Hoy Mismo, moderated by a team led by director Danny Alcántara.
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