Santo Domingo.- The Air Force of the Dominican Republic has issued a press release regarding the situation involving the TP-75 “Dulus” aircraft, which entered Paraguayan airspace without proper authorization. The pilot, Joaquín Moriones, was instructed to contact the military frequency 135.55 while flying over Paraguay.
According to the statement, the aircraft was en route to participate in the International Air and Space Fair (Fidae) in Santiago, Chile, from April 9 to 14. To facilitate this journey, the Dominican military engaged The Ferry Services, a company specializing in international aircraft transportation services, to handle flight plans and overflight permits.
However, on Wednesday, April 3, Moriones was directed to contact the military frequency due to the unauthorized entry into Paraguayan airspace. The Air Force of the Dominican Republic underscores that at the time of receiving the call from the control tower at Silvio Pettirossi Airport, the aircraft was already 40 nautical miles away from the air control station and approximately 10 miles from Argentine airspace.
Moriones had previously sought clarification from Paraguayan authorities regarding the necessity of overflight permission, to which he was informed that it was not required. Consequently, this requirement was not included in the flight plan from the Dominican Republic to Chile, where the aircraft is set to showcase at the international aeronautical event.
The issue was resolved by submitting an overflight request form to the Paraguayan airport authority and sending a letter from the Commander of the Dominican Republic Air Force to the Commander of the Paraguayan Air Force, requesting authorization for the aircraft’s overflight.
The TP-75 “Dulus” aircraft has since arrived in Santiago, Chile, ready to participate in the Fidae international fair as planned.