74,110 Venezuelans entered the Dominican Republic in 2022, but 78,487 left, according to the statistical report on entry and exit made by the General Directorate of Migration.
SANTO DOMINGO.- With more than 40 weekly flights from six airlines, air traffic between the Dominican Republic and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has intensified in recent times, due to emigration that uses the national territory as a transit option or final destination.
Statistical data provided by the Civil Aviation Board indicates that 2,902 air operations were carried out on the route between the two countries between January and August of this year. This figure equates to approximately 1,500 round-trip flights during that period, or just under 200 per month on average, or about six per day.
In August alone, the last month included in the report, an approximate frequency of 43 weekly flights was recorded. That same month saw a total of 374 operations, including both arrivals and departures.
Six airlines dominate the air market between the two countries: Laser, which covers the Maiquetía-Las Américas and Maiquetía-La Romana routes; Sky High Aviation Services Dominicana, SA, which serves Maiquetía-Las Américas, as does the airline Avior Airlines, CA, according to a publication by Diario Libre.
Also Rutas Aéreas, CA or Rutaca Airlines, which connects Maracaibo with Las Américas, Maiquetía with Punta Cana, Barquisimeto - Las Américas and Maturín-Las Américas.
Other companies include Turpial Airlines CA, which flies from Valencia to Las Américas and Punta Cana, and Rutas Aéreas de Venezuela Rav, SA/Ravsa, which operates the Maiquetía-Las Américas and Barquisimeto-Las Américas routes.
Although not included in the official report, other airlines offer flights from Venezuela to the Dominican Republic. One of them is Copa Airlines, which offers flights to Santo Domingo and Punta Cana from several Venezuelan cities, with a layover in Panama City. The airline operates up to five flights daily, and prices vary depending on the destination and availability. For example, a flight to Caracas, checked for the end of this month, costs $407 (approximately RD$23,000) departing from Santo Domingo, and $689 (RD$39,000) from Punta Cana.
Wingo, the Colombian airline, also has flight offers that involve layovers.
USA
In its study, "State of Migration Affecting the Dominican Republic, 2021," the Center for Migration Observation and Social Development in the Caribbean (Obmica) notes that the United States remains the primary destination for migrants from the region. "The migration corridors from Cuba and the Dominican Republic to the United States are among the largest in the subregion.".
The Dominican Republic has become a top choice for Venezuelans trying to reach the United States, due to better airfare and Venezuela's flight restrictions, as no North American airlines operate from there. In 2019, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued KICZ A0013/19, which prohibited direct flights between the two countries, the publication notes.
"All flight operations in the territory and airspace of Venezuela at altitudes below FL 260, by the persons described in the paragraph below are prohibited until further notice, due to the growing political instability and tensions in Venezuela and the associated and unforeseen risk to flight operations," says the provision, which also includes cargo traffic.
Cheaper prices are another attraction of connecting through the Dominican Republic when the final destination is a North American airport.
For a Venezuelan who wants to travel to Dominican territory, there are flight prices starting from 13,000 pesos to Santo Domingo, according to some of the offers found on the internet.
Despite sharing a border with Colombia, prices from Venezuela to that country start at 18,000 pesos, with destination Bogotá.
To Panama, where thousands of Venezuelans risk crossing the Darien Strait each year en route to the north, a round-trip flight from Caracas or another point costs more than 22,700 pesos.
It is also a destination
Besides being a bridge, the Dominican Republic is also a destination for Venezuelans. It is the Caribbean country that has received the most immigrants from Bolívar's homeland in recent years.
The Obmica study indicates that as of September 2019, around 100,000 Venezuelans were living in the Caribbean, a figure that increased to about 220,000 people by the end of 2021.
"The main destinations for Venezuelans include the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Curacao. In August 2020, the number of Venezuelans residing in the Dominican Republic exceeded 100,000.".
To date, and according to the R4V Platform, a joint information body of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Venezuelans in the country is estimated at 116,000.
According to R4V, 37% of those immigrants have taken advantage of the Venezuelan Normalization Plan (PNV), which the Dominican government opened in January 2021 through Resolution 00119-2021, from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labor.
With information from Diario Libre.
