Salvatore Sciacchitano, president of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), announced that the DR will host the ICAO air services negotiation event (ICAN 2025), which serves to provide a space where States, in one place, can carry out negotiations of bilateral agreements on air services, substantially increasing the efficiency of the negotiation process.
In this regard, José Ernesto Marte Piantini, president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), said that “the celebration of ICAN-2025 in Dominican lands represents a great opportunity for our country. By attracting the interest of the 193 member states of the ICAO, the RD, due to its privileged geographical location, becomes the center of international attention, constituting a precious opportunity to show our potential as a destination in the Caribbean, to achieve greater connectivity with other regions of 
the world not yet exploited and an increase in the flow of passengers and air operations to the country, as well as greater openness and access to international markets, the creation of new service offerings and sources of employment, and foreign exchange earnings”.
He explained that the country is experiencing a great opening and liberalization of traffic rights and has a regulatory framework that facilitates investment, only in the year 2023, we registered 132,998 air operations in entries and exits, which translates into estimated direct and indirect income for the country of 16,139 million dollars.
Approved operations
“Likewise, 8,574 operations were approved under the Special Permit modality and a total of 8,016 charter flights were authorized, of which 3,077 correspond to combined passenger and cargo operations and 4,939 to exclusive cargo operations, more than 130 new routes, and more than 530 airlines operated to and from the RD, all of which evidences a notable increase in air connectivity in the RD,” he assured.
He also indicated that “during the course of these fifteen years there have been many achievements obtained by the States in the negotiations held within the framework of the ICAN Conference, but the greatest of them is to make possible that people of different races, traditions and customs, but with a common interest, the sustainable development of air transport, have been able to coincide in a single space, to strengthen aviation trade relations through negotiations between authorities and civil aviation delegations of each State, and conclude air services agreements, or memorandums of understanding”.
“In the case of the RD, we must emphasize that as a result of our participation in ICAN editions, we have been highly benefited with the increase and strengthening of our air trade relations with traditional and non-traditional destinations, which has allowed a better air connectivity for our nation,” he said.
Latest ICAN Saudi Arabia
He recalled that in the last ICAN held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the entity held negotiation and consultation meetings with twelve 12 States, achieving the conclusion of ten air services instruments with different States.
It should be noted that the ICAN conference has been highly praised by participating delegations as an efficient platform for conducting air services negotiations.
Since its inception in 2008, 15 ICANs have been held in various countries around the world to promote the liberalization of international air transport.
Source: Arecoa.com
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