The president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), Hector Porcelladeclared that the open skies agreement signed with the United States should come into force at the beginning of next year, after being validated by the Constitutional Court and the National Congress.
By highlighting the benefits that the new agreement will represent to enhance tourism and the country’s commercial exchange with the rest of the world, Porcella He recalled that, outside of Cuba and Venezuela, the Dominican Republic was the only country in Latin America that did not have an open skies agreement with the United States.
He said that for more than 25 years the Dominican State had been trying unsuccessfully to formalize this exchange with the United States, until President Luis Abinader, Minister of Tourism David Collado and the country’s aeronautical authorities took care of making it a reality.
“Until this moment we had 70 similar agreements with other countries, although not precisely with our main political, economic and tourist partner, such as the United States of America,” he noted.
He added that now It is only expected that the agreement will be validated by the Constitutional Court and the Congress of the Republicso that it comes into full force, creating the conditions to expand the country’s air connectivity and overcome some obstacles that limit Dominican-registered airlines from traveling to any destination in the United States.”
10 other open skies agreements
Porcella revealed that in the next week, the country’s aviation authorities will travel to Malaysia to participate in one of the main meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAN-ICAO 2024), where the country intends to advance another 10 agreements with the same number of countries.
He reported that soon Open skies agreements will be signed with Argentina and several African countries. Furthermore, he announced that next year the Dominican Republic will host ICAN-ICAO 2025, ratifying its status as one of the most important civil aviation centers in the world. He recalled that the Dominican Republic is an island territory and one of the main tourist destinations in Latin America—the second after Mexico—and to continue growing sustainably it must have a highly competitive aviation system, which is the commitment that has been made. outlined the government of President Abinader.
He indicated that the agreement with the United States will mean that the country’s airlines, which are now in a dynamic growth process, will have greater facilities to operate new routes to various cities in the United States, strengthening the local aeronautical fleet.
When referring to the direct benefit that Dominicans residing in the United States should receive, he said that the agreement will have an impact on the reduction of ticket prices, as a result of the expansion of market offers, which will also be enhanced with other measures that is being adopted by the government to expand facilities for air operators, including a 50% reduction in the tax on aviation fuel.
Porcella addressed the country’s civil aviation issues by participating in the interview on the television program Hoy Mismo, under the coordination of a team headed by its director, Danny Alcántara.
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