SANTO DOMINGO.- “That incident justifies what we did. ifthe Aerodom contract hadn't been modified and that situation had continued for another 7 years?” was President Luis Abinader's response yesterday when asked about the detachment on runway 17-35, which affected 15 flights at Las Américas International Airport, José Francisco Peña Gómez (AILA), last Sunday.
The president said in La Semanal con la Prensa, that in the previous contract there were no audits or obligations regarding what the company, Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI, Aerodom, had to invest, "but rather it was open and limited to the terminal being kept in good condition.".
The asphalt collapse affected 15 flights. (External source).
He explained that after the new 30-year agreement signed by the government, which came into effect last December, the details changed and "it is because of these kinds of situations that Aerodom's new contract is justified.".
“When they made that investment, that wasn't in the contract. Now there is special supervision that didn't exist with the previous contract. Now we can tell them what kind of material they should use and how they should use it, which wasn't included in the previous contract,” Abinader emphasized.
This refers to an investment of more than three million dollars, used last year for the renovation of a section of the AILA runway, as part of the periodic and routine maintenance plan for pavements, a large-scale construction project that involved the placement of 54,000 meters of new asphalt material and the renovation of another 57,000 square meters.
Abinader maintained that under the current terms, Aerodom must have prior government approval for its investment budget and its execution. He noted that the new contract includes more than just funding for construction. “There are $800 million to build a new terminal and modernize the other terminals. Now there is control; that incident justifies what we did to ensure there is real control from now on,” the president declared.
Chaos on flights
The closure of the AIL A runway last Sunday for four hours and 42 minutes caused the cancellation of seven flights and the diversion of eight to other terminals in the country.
The information was released in a press release by Aerodom, which indicated that the pothole or hole in the runway occurred during the landing of an Air Europa Boeing 787-900 aircraft, which dislodged asphalt in an area that was scheduled to be serviced for maintenance in the coming days.
The company indicated that the runway was reopened at 12:25 a.m. on Monday after being repaired. Operations resumed, and "flights and passengers diverted to alternate airports returned to AILA," the statement specified.
Aerodom assured that it continues to monitor the condition of the runway and all airport infrastructure, in order to provide the required maintenance and repairs.
