IDAC director values President Abinader’s commitment to civil aviation
The acting director general of the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), Héctor Porcella, valued the commitment and willingness of President Luis Abinader to strengthen aviation as a strategic ally of tourism and a key sector of national economic development.
He said that the proposed reform to the civil aviation law submitted to Congress by President Abinader is aimed at turning the Dominican Republic into the first air hub in the Caribbean and one of the main investment destinations in Latin America.
Porcella welcomed the presentation of the new fleet of the Sky High Dominicana airline and defined it as a sign of the solid growth of the country’s aeronautical park under the auspices of the government of change.
In the activity held at the La Vendimia restaurant of the International Airport of the Americas, Doctor José Francisco Peña Gómez, at the inauguration of the new fleet of planes of Sky High, a national air operator of commercial aviation, President Luis Abinader said that this represents a boost to the dynamics that this sector currently has.
He referred that Dominican airlines have almost doubled the total number of passengers transported in the previous management, as is the case of Sky High, which, he indicated, has increased by 35% the passengers transported with respect to 2019 (41 thousand passengers more).
“In 2022, this operator mobilized 56 thousand passengers in more than 14 routes in the region; it also went from using aircraft with capacity for 19 and 45 passengers, to operate in aircraft with capacity for 100 passengers,” President Luis Abinader pointed out.
He explained that the legal provision aims to promote and increase the competitiveness of civil aviation in the country, thereby establishing the relevant incentives that allow the increase of visitors by air.
The president said that these provisions also seek to establish new domestic and international routes to and from strategic national markets and strengthen the Dominican Republic’s position as a point of connection for the transportation and logistics of passengers and cargo.
- At the event, Sky High Dominicana executives announced their expansion and consolidation projects for 2023, a year in which they will maintain even more their value proposition of safety, solidity and commitment to continue being a reliable and proudly Dominican airline.
For this year 2023, Sky High Dominicana has a fleet of 4 Embraer-190 of 97 passengers including Business Class, 3 Embraer-145 of 50 passengers, 2 Embraer-75 of 77 passengers with Business Class and a Boeing 737 freighter, for a total of 10 aircraft. This expansion strengthens the airline’s service, which today has 21 destinations and more than 4,000 operations per year, connecting the Caribbean with Latin America and the United States.
The CEO of SKYHIGH Dominicana, Juan Chamizo, thanked the president and all those present for joining them in the expansion of the Dominican Republic’s airline offer.
Likewise, the Director of Operations of Sky High Dominicana, Cesarina Beauchamp, emphasized that what was presented would not have been possible without the accompaniment and the great support they have received from the Plenary of the Civil Aviation Board, Aerodom, IDACC, as well as all the members that compose it, such as the Ministry of Tourism, IDAC, CESAC and the Airport Department, among others.
Also, the general director of AERODOM, Mónika Infante, expressed her satisfaction to receive the new aircraft on the runways of the International Airport of the Americas, José Francisco Peña Gómez.
Similarly, Rodrigo Pereyra, representative of EMBRAER, the company that built the aircraft, expressed his confidence in the Sky High project and his belief in the company for its growth in Latin America.
The event was attended by the General Commander of the Dominican Republic Air Force, Febrillet Rodríguez, FARD; the general director of the Specialized Corps for Airport and Civil Aviation Security (CESAC), pilot colonel Floreal Suárez Martínez, FARD and the president of the DNCD, rear admiral of the Dominican Republic Navy (ARD) José Manuel Cabrera Ulloa.
Also, the Consul General of the City of Miami, for the Dominican Republic, Geanilda Vázquez; the directors of the Airport Department, Víctor Pichardo; and the president of the Civil Aviation Board, Héctor Marte Piantini.
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