New air routes approved by the JAC

Santo Domingo.- The President of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), José Ernesto Marte Piantini, announced the approval of new air connections with Puerto Rico, Panama, Canada, and Portugal during the fifth ordinary session of the year, in response to requests from foreign air operators Air Transat, Orbest, and Copa Airlines.

Air Transat has requested new flights between the Dominican Republic and cities in Canada, including Toronto, Moncton, and Ottawa, with routes such as Toronto/Samaná/Toronto, Moncton/Punta Cana/Moncton, and Ottawa/Punta Cana/Ottawa. From January 2023 to January 2024, Air Transat transported 970,037 passengers in 4,705 air operations.

Similarly, Orbest has sought a special permit to operate flights on 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 same period, Orbest transported 28,723 passengers in 82 air operations.

Copa Airlines has requested a special permit for cargo flights on the Panama/San Juan/Santo Domingo/Panama route on specific dates in March 2024. From January 2023 to January 2024, Copa Airlines transported 1,140,915 passengers in 8,515 combined operations.

Additionally, a special permit was approved for national air operator Air Century, SA, to operate the Punta Cana/Havana, Cuba/Punta Cana route from March 19 to May 31, 2024, with a frequency of four flights per week.

Furthermore, Sky High Aviation Services Dominicana, SA, received approval for cargo flights on various routes, including Santo Domingo/Guyana/Havana/Guyana/Santo Domingo and Santo Domingo/Panama/Havana/Panama/Santo Domingo. Combined flights, both passenger and cargo, were also approved for routes like Santo Domingo/Miami/Santiago de Cuba/Miami/Santo Domingo and Santo Domingo/Tampa/Santiago de Cuba/Tampa/Santo Domingo.

Marte Piantini highlighted the significant strengthening of national air operators and the substantial increase in air connectivity between the Dominican Republic and the rest of the world.