Santo Domingo.- Tourism entrepreneur Frank Rainieri, the founder of the Puntacana Group, expressed approval of the Supreme Court of Justice’s decision to uphold the suspension of the Bávaro International Airport (AIB) construction. Speaking at a ceremony celebrating the arrival of the 10 millionth tourist at the Punta Cana terminal, Rainieri emphasized the need for such infrastructure projects to be part of a national planning strategy and adhere to local regulations.
The Supreme Court’s ruling rejected an appeal from the Bávaro International Airport, which sought to overturn a decision by the Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) that deemed the airport project detrimental to the national interest. Consequently, the original concept and approval of the AIB project were dismissed.
Rainieri applauded the independence demonstrated by the Supreme Court and its judges, who faced significant pressure but ultimately delivered a unanimous decision. He raised concerns about the rapid authorization process for the AIB, questioning the expedited granting of permits for an airport project without a land use permit for its intended location.
Highlighting his own experience with the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), Rainieri noted it took seven years and the involvement of three governments to obtain all necessary regulations for the country’s first private airport and the most frequented one in terms of passenger influx. In contrast, he criticized the AIB project’s accelerated approval, achieved in just six months during a pandemic and a period when the country had halted all types of activities.
Rainieri’s comments underscore the importance of rigorous planning and regulatory compliance in the development of major infrastructure projects, particularly those in sensitive sectors like aviation and tourism.