This will allow greater air connectivity between the two countries and allow Dominican airlines to fly to any destination in the United States and vice versa.
The Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, David Collado, and the Deputy Secretary of State of the United States, José W. Fernández, closed the negotiations of the open skies treaty between the two countries and announced that the official signing will take place at an upcoming date in a protocol act headed by President Luis Abinader at the Dominican National Palace.
The closing ceremony was held at the Secretary of State’s Office in the U.S. capital and with this, the work begins for this agreement to become fully operational after more than 25 years of negotiations.
Minister Collado emphasized that this is an achievement for the country’s air connectivity that will allow national airlines to fly to any destination in the United States and vice versa the U.S. airlines, while increasing the country’s competitiveness, which should translate into cheaper flights between the two nations.
“Today we have closed this agreement thanks to the vision and commitment of President Luis Abinader and the entire Cabinet of Tourism that we have worked for the country to be increasingly better connected by air, and I am proud to announce that it was achieved with the support of all airports in the country.” explained Collado who added “the Dominican Republic was one of the few countries that did not have an open skies agreement with the United States and this signature will have an impact so that Dominicans can come to their country at more competitive prices, as well as increasing the arrival of tourists from the United States to our country”.
Undersecretary Fernández said that “this agreement strengthens our bilateral relations and will reinforce our strong economic ties” and praised the Dominican Republic’s leadership in the Caribbean and Central America.
The U.S. official said that, “this agreement goes beyond a relationship, this agreement is pro-growth, pro-competition and pro-consumer and will facilitate more trade, economic exchange between both nations, more tourists, exchange students, more opportunities for airlines, travel companies and customers”.
Collado thanked the Dominican airlines for their support in making this happen, as well as Punta Cana Airport, Cibao Airport, Aerodom and important industry players such as Antonio Yapor and Monika Infante, as well as the director of Civil Aviation Héctor Porcella, the president of the Aviation Board, José Marte Piantini and the airport director Víctor Pichardo.
He also highlighted the work of the negotiating team integrated by the vice-minister Patricia Mejía, the lawyers Práxedes Joaquín Castillo and Leonel Melo and the legal consultant of Tourism, Natashú Domínguez.
The representatives of the United States government highlighted the work done by the current administration headed by President Abinader to achieve the closing of this agreement, since for the Americans it is a state policy to establish open skies with its trading partners in order to ensure greater competitiveness, better antitrust practices and more open skies for airlines.
The open skies agreement will now go through a routine administrative phase, as all binational treaties do, which must also be ratified by the Dominican Congress.
Source: Mitur.gob.do
