SANTO DOMINGO.- Because the Dominican Republic has a privileged connection, the General Directorate of Customs (DGA) is betting that a regional air cargo center can be located in the country and for this reason, work was announced yesterday for the construction of a modern logistics center at the Las Américas International Airport (AILA).
The terminal, which will operate continuously, is part of a project that seeks to strengthen the logistics chain, as well as benefit users and generate new job opportunities.
The event was attended by the Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña. The Director General of Customs, Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, stated that the main objective is to leverage the country's advantages as a destination to transform it into an air cargo hub, clarifying that they will centralize operations and expand the service.
Customs will build a modern air cargo center at AILA. (External source).
The head of the DGA indicated that a segment study on the hub was recently conducted, and among the relevant data it yielded was that the Dominican Republic maintains one of the best air connections with the world compared to Central America and the Caribbean, based on the connection index of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
It showed that a survey by the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ranked Las Américas International Airport as the second best in terms of infrastructure-efficiency ratio for air cargo, only surpassed by Montevideo, Uruguay.
The project goes hand in hand with Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom) and consists of the expansion and modernization of the DGA terminal for express mail, due to the increase in demand for freight transport.
"It is important to say that, through 24/7 operations, the end user will obtain advantages such as faster cargo dispatch, better cargo protection and improved traceability," Sanz Lovatón stated.
He explained that in March of this year alone there were some 7,300 tons available on passenger flights, and it is possible to reach more than 10,000 tons, "which represents a great opportunity for the country.".
"This type of project helps guide the country towards a future where logistics is a leading economic sector, while maintaining national security, quality and transparency," he pointed out.
The Vice President of the Republic stated that, given the sustained growth of express air cargo shipments, the country must find ways to manage and adapt to changes in trade, while also formulating new strategies and logistical facilities for handling these operations.
He stated that the government's main objective is to become the region's main "logistical, efficient and secure" hub.
He congratulated the DGA for its management and highlighted its leadership at the head of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, which has worked hand in hand with the private sector and the American Chamber of Commerce (Amchamdr), promoting policies for logistics and trade development, "achieving the completion of this important study.".
"That is why we are here today, starting the construction work on the new facility, which will bring great benefits to our purpose and to the users who, day after day, place their trust in each of the companies involved to offer these services efficiently," Peña emphasized.
For her part, Aerodom representative Mónika Infante said that they have "fully" assumed their commitments, through different investments that have modernized and utilized the airports.
He considered that these works, "today, are probably the largest contributor to income tax in the country's tourism sector, having paid, in the fiscal year 2022, close to 45 million dollars.".
He asserted that José Francisco Peña Gómez Airport is the leader in air cargo transport. The terminals operated by Aerodom and Vinci Airports handled 190 million pounds of cargo in 2022, an 8% increase over 2021.
"Our airport is the only one in the Dominican Republic that has the express mail service of the General Directorate of Customs, facilitating import processes and, thanks to the works that we are starting today, important results will be obtained," he said.
The new building has been designed in accordance with DGA standards and will include dedicated areas for receiving goods, unloading, depalletizing, cages, administration, and X-ray screening, making these processes more fluid and efficient thanks to the increased available space. The new structure will allow for better distribution of personnel and technological resources, thus streamlining the terminal's operational flows.
