Aerodom: airlines will operate in the DR “as soon as possible”

 Project demand will recover faster in Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata

 They work hand in hand with the Mitur and the country’s hotel associations

Álvaro Leite, commercial director of Dominican Airports Siglo XXI ( Aerodom ), said that he hopes that the country’s borders will be reopened so that the airlines restart their operations in the airports operated by the company with a lower initial offer that will grow to adapt to demand over the course of the next few months.

“We have maintained close communication with the airlines and all our partners. During these conversations, they have conveyed their interest in restarting operations as soon as possible,” he added.

He explained that they expect demand to recover faster for Santo Domingo airports, where the market is stronger, with a perfect mix of passengers (VFR, business, and leisure). At the same time, it anticipates a slightly slower recovery in the terminals of Puerto Plata and Samaná given its direct link with tourist activities.

“Given that two of our airports serve the capital city of the Dominican Republic, we believe this market will be more resilient and have a solid medium-term outlook,” he said.

Furthermore, he added that: “All over the world, the entire recovery will not be quick. It will take time for airports and airlines to return to 2019 figures, but we remain confident that our customers and people, in general, will still want to travel, and that at Aerodom traffic will begin to increase as soon as the enforcement measures are lifted.”

Leite, in an interview with Routes, stated that for the reopening they are working closely with all the airlines that operate in Aerodom, with the Ministry of Tourism ( Mitur ), as well as with several Hotel and Tourism Associations to support national initiatives. Currently under discussion to strengthen the tourism offer of the Dominican Republic.

“We are preparing for the future and reopening our routes. We are also working to make sure that the DR is a safer destination,” he said.

The executive indicated that Aerodom, as part of VINCI Airports, has implemented new sanitary measures throughout its network to protect passengers and employees.

Measures include: managing the flows of people, observing social distancing, providing personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, and informing passengers.

In addition to the new hygiene practices implemented by the airlines, these measures guarantee appropriate security conditions throughout the passenger’s journey. This will allow you to gradually resume services in complete safety.

“Specifically, we are proposing:”

• Maintain, as the Dominican authorities have established, the mandatory use of a mask by passengers, a key measure for both airports and aircraft that will provide clear advantages with respect to simplicity in terms of controls, empowerment of passengers, continuity throughout the trip, coherence with the emerging Proposal for the railway mode and reduction of the physical distance.
• Use of protective screens between passengers and employees, as well as masks according to the exposure of each position.
• Organization of queues, spaces, and flow monitoring to reduce density.
• Greater frequency of cleaning and disinfection of all possible contact areas.
• Special attention to air renewal in terminals.
• Wide and continuous availability of hydroalcoholic gel.
• Continuous communication on health advice and passenger processes.