For years, the Dominican Republic has had an important airport infrastructure that supports the national tourism industry, consisting of eight international airports and other terminals for domestic and international flights.
This means that there are different entry options for those who decide to come to this territory by air from other countries. It is possible to arrive through Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Santiago, Puerto Plata, La Romana, Samaná, or even through other provinces of the national geography.
The international airport facilities available in the Dominican Republic are Las Américas- José Francisco Peña Gómez Airport (AILA-JFPG), Punta Cana, Cibao, La Isabela, Gregorio Luperón, Presidente Juan Bosch, Arroyo Barril, María Montez and La Romana. For domestic air transportation, there are the airports 14 de Junio, in Constanza; Osvaldo Virgil de Montecristi, María Montez and Cabo Rojo, in Pedernales.
The three busiest airports in the country, Punta Cana, Las Americas and Cibao, were responsible for 94% of total passenger traffic to/from the Dominican Republic in April of this year. Punta Cana led with 747,170 passengers transported, representing 55% of the total, according to statistics obtained from the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) database.
The AILA, which is the second in the country in terms of passenger flow, was built in Punta Caucedo, east of the Dominican capital, when the Government ordered the closure of General Andrews Airport, which had been operating in the center of the city since the mid-1940s.
The AILA has 73,282 meters of construction distributed over three levels and a basement. Its runway measures 3,354 m x 60 meters; it has been rated as the best in the Caribbean and is one of the few in the region that can receive Airbus A380 aircraft, according to data posted on the official website of Aeropuertos Dominicanos (Aerodom).
It also has a cargo area, warehouse, fire station, parking lot with capacity for 1,285 vehicles, rental car area, counters and offices for airlines, Ambassadors and VIP lounges, and offices for government agencies.
Punta Cana International Airport is located in the main travel destination (of tourists) to the Dominican Republic, with direct flights arriving daily from different parts of the world, an important part of them from Europe.
It is one of the most important in the Caribbean in terms of international traffic. The Punta Cana airport has the particularity of a palm roof, totally open and really touristic.
The International Airport of Cibao, S.A., located in Santiago (north zone or Cibao of the country), is a company of the transportation sector, organized to operate as a corporation, governed by decree 185-000, which authorizes its operations and international aviation agreements. It was founded on January 16, 2000.
Gregorio Luperón International Airport is located between Puerto Plata and Sosúa.
It has a runway of 3,081 meters x 46 meters and can receive wide-body aircraft, including Boeing 747 and Airbus A350. The terminal has 27,075 square meters and a maximum capacity of 1,200 passengers/hour.
La Isabela Joaquín Balaguer International Airport, located in Santo Domingo Norte, was conceived with the purpose of replacing the old Herrera Airport. It is located in El Higüero and began operations on February 23, 2006. Its ramp has 21,600 square meters, where four ATR-72 airplanes can be parked. The dimensions of the runway are 1,680,000 sq. ft.
dimensions of the runway are 1,680 meters x 30 meters.
Juan Bosch and others
President Juan Bosch International Airport, Samaná was built with the purpose of boosting tourism activity in the Northeast region of the country. It is located in a strategic point of the Samaná peninsula, 23 kilometers from the municipality of Las Terrenas, 46 kilometers from the head municipality of Santa Bárbara de Samaná and 74 kilometers from the municipal district of Las Galeras, all of which have great tourist attractions.
The runway has dimensions of 3,000 meters x 45 meters. The ramp is 45,000 square meters and the terminal is capable of receiving four Boeing 747 aircraft at the same time.
The Domestic Aerodrome Arroyo Barril, Samaná, is located in the community of Arroyo Barril and is used for the operation of domestic flights.
The passenger terminal has an area of 3,069.50 square meters and a general parking lot for vehicles of 1,972 square meters. It has a runway of 1,160 meters long x 23 meters wide, a taxiway of 125 meters x 18 meters and a platform of 130 meters x 105 meters.
La Romana International Airport is located on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, providing service to a province with a high growth in business and leisure in the country.
María Montés International Airport (AIMM) is located off the coast of the Barahona Peninsula. It is named in honor of the famous Dominican film actress considered the queen of technicolor, according to Aerodom data. It has a terminal of 2,565 square meters and a runway of 3,000 meters long x 45 meters wide, with capacity to receive wide-body aircraft.
In May there was a record; tourism benefited the most
As required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Dominican Republic was in the process of certifying all its international airports, as a highly important step towards guaranteeing that the facilities, equipment and operational procedures at the airfields of the
operational procedures at certified aerodromes conform to the standards and recommended methods specified in Volume I of Annex 14 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and to all national regulations in force, in this case the Dominican Aeronautical Regulations (RAD) 14 Volume I and the RAD19.
Only María Montez remains to be certified; La Romana and Puerto Plata were certified at the beginning of the year. Of the total number of airports, six are concessioned and three are private. For Punta Cana, Las Americas and El Higüero airports, May 2022 was a record month in terms of passenger traffic, making it the busiest May in their history, according to
the figures of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC). The busiest airport, as it usually is, was Punta Cana, with 672,325 in arrivals and departures (55% of the total), followed by Las Americas, with 359,407 passengers transported, 29% of the total.
With 5,943 passengers in May 2022, La Romana airport continues in recovery mode, after losing its two largest markets, which are Russia and Ukraine. JetBlue, American, Delta and United together transported 608,613 passengers (48% of the total).
(48% of the total.
