In order to increase and strengthen commercial exchange, as well as strengthen direct connections, the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) approved new air connections with Puerto Rico, Panama, Canada and Portugal, which are added to those already in place. with other cities in the world, as reported during the beginning of the fifth ordinary session of this year, the president of the organization, Dr. José Ernesto Marte Piantini, upon learning of the new requests from foreign air operators: Air Transat, Orbest and Copa Airlines.
During the meeting, the members of the Civil Aviation Board learned of the request of the foreign operator Air Transat, to carry out new flights to and from the Dominican territory with the cities of Toronto, Moncton and Ottawa in Canada, on the routes: Toronto/Samaná /Toronto; Moncton/Punta Cana/Moncton and Ottawa/Punta Cana/Ottawa.
According to the information provided by the Statistics Division of the Department of Air Transport, from January 2023 to January 2024, this operator transported 970,037 passengers in 4,705 entry and exit air operations on the routes authorized in its operating permit and on routes operated in other modalities.
Likewise, Marte Piantini reported that, with the objective of continuing to strengthen the country's connectivity for the benefit of Dominican travelers and the productive sectors, the members of the plenary session learned of the request for a special permit from the air operator Orbest to carry out flights in the Lisbon/La Romana Lisbon route, from June 26 to September 11, 2024, with a frequency of one flight per week, on Wednesdays.
During the period from January 2023 to January 2024, the Portuguese foreign air operator Orbest transported 28,723 passengers in 82 air operations in entries and exits on the route contained in its operating permit, as well as on other routes and modalities.
Likewise, the JAC learned of the request for another special permit from Copa Airlines, to carry out cargo flights on the Panama/San Juan/Santo Domingo/Panama route, on March 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2024, with a frequency of one flight on each date.
According to the Statistics Division of the Air Transport Department of the JAC, from January 2023 to January 2024, Copa Airlines transported 1,140,915 passengers in 8,515 combined operations, on routes contained in its operating permit, as well as on routes operated under other modalities.
In the fifth ordinary session of the plenary session of the Civil Aviation Board, a special permit was also approved for the national air operator Air Century, SA to operate the Punta Cana/Havana, Cuba/Punta Cana route. This permit consists of forty-two (42) air operations that will begin on March 19 until May 31, 2024, with a frequency of four (4) flights per week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Likewise, a special permit was approved by the Civil Aviation Board for the air operator Sky High Aviation Services Dominicana, SA to operate exclusively cargo flights on different routes, including: Santo Domingo/Guyana/Havana/Guyana/Santo Domingo ; Santo Domingo/Panama/Havana/Panama/Santo Domingo; Santo Domingo/Miami/Havana/Miami/Santo Domingo; among other routes.
The following routes were also approved for the air operator Sky High Aviation Services Dominicana to operate combined flights (passenger and cargo): Santo Domingo/Miami/Santiago de Cuba/Miami/Santo Domingo; Santo Domingo/Tampa/Santiago de Cuba/Tampa/Santo Domingo; and Santo Domingo/Tampa/Punta Cana/Tampa/Santo Domingo.
Marte Piantini highlighted that we are currently witnessing a notable strengthening of our national air operators, as well as a very significant increase in the air connectivity of the Dominican Republic with the rest of the world.