Punta Cana Airport inaugurates the expansion of its Terminal B

Punta Cana—Punta Cana Airport celebrated 40 years of historic milestones and the formal inauguration of Terminal B’s expansion in an event attended by the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, government officials, allies of the airport community, and the media.

Inaugurated in 1983, it is the first private aerodrome for international commercial use in the world, handling 68% of the country’s tourist air traffic, connecting with 75 cities in 34 countries through 58 airlines, mobilizing more than 9 million passengers and transporting more than 25 million kilos of cargo annually.

“Characteristic of the innovative spirit of its founders, Punta Cana Airport has maintained its commitment to innovation, which has allowed it to be one of the best airports in Latin America, with constant growth,” said Frank Elías Rainieri, President of Grupo Puntacana.

He also added that “today, 40 years after our beginnings, and with more than 120 million passengers later, Punta Cana Airport is presented as a model of sustainable development that allows us to assume new investments, staying at the forefront and ahead of the growth curve of the tourism sector.”

He indicated they continue to be the Pioneers in business diversification as part of the first and only MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) workshop in the region as of 2025. He also announced the creation of an Aeronautical University, contributing to strengthening an aeronautical ecosystem never before seen in the Caribbean.

He concluded by thanking the more than 17,000 direct and indirect collaborators of the Puntacana Group, government allies, and the airport community for being part of a meaningful journey towards socio-economic growth in the area.

The meeting was attended by Joel Santos, Minister of the Presidency; David Collado, Minister of Tourism; and Monsignor Jesús Castro, Bishop of the Diocese of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia in Higüey.

On behalf of Grupo Puntacana, Frank Rainieri, founder and chairman of the board of directors; Haydée Rainieri, member of the Board of Directors; Paola Rainieri, Chief Marketing Officer; and Francesca Rainieri, Chief Financial Officer.

Terminal B

The expansion of Terminal B at Punta Cana Airport has an investment of more than USD$90 million and allows the mobilization of 5 thousand passengers per hour and 4 million passengers per year. This project will have an area of about 35 thousand m² and seven boarding gates and air bridges.

The extension was developed by Dominican engineers and architects, such as the architect Antonio II Imbert and Eduardo Domínguez of the construction company Imbert Domínguez y Asociados, with the ambiance of the food court and the VIP lounge of the renowned designer Adriana Hoyos.

It is projected that, with this addition of Terminal B, the airport will exceed 11 million passengers annually, allowing it to meet the expected increase in demand for 14 thousand new hotel rooms in the coming years.

Terminal B is one of the most modern airport terminals in the region, with
signature amenities and services such as a VIP Lounge with a swimming pool and an impressive runway view, Fast Track service, and a modern food truck area with a wide variety of cuisine.

Airport Technology

Some of its new technology implementations are a biometric smarth path for agent-free check-in procedures, self-service kiosk and mobile technology with fast and secure biometric enrollment and registration, self-service baggage claim with biometric verification, single or double electronic self-service boarding gates, automated access, and border control.

In addition, the new self-check-in kiosks with luggage tag printing, an Explosive Detection System (EDS) at the security checkpoint and baggage carousel, new security screens, auto-gates, self-service boarding, ABC kiosks in the arrival migration area, and the self-service bag drop will soon be implemented.

It also has kiosks for self-check-in, migration with e-gates, 10 state-of-the-art body
scanners, eight tomographic machines, and four automated machines are among Latin America’s most modern equipment.