The country is hosting a meeting with over 100 delegates from 25 member states and territories.
SANTO DOMINGO. - The Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza , reaffirmed the Dominican Republic's commitment as a leader in civil aviation in the region, while also acknowledging the country's progress in operational safety, connectivity, and sustainability .
The official expressed his views during the opening of the thirteenth meeting of directors of Civil Aviation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (NACC/DCA/13), which is being held from August 4 to 7, with the country and the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) as hosts of the meeting.
“The Dominican Republic conducts approximately 200,000 air operations annually. About 98% of the more than 22 million passengers who enter the country each year do so by air, and more than half of them are tourists. These operations resulted in over US$356 million in direct and indirect revenue for the Dominican economy, not including income reported by the Central Bank from other sectors of the tourism industry,” stated the Dominican government representative at the event promoted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Paliza expressed gratitude for the trust placed by the ICAO General Secretariat in both the Dominican Republic and the IDAC for the realization of this important technical and diplomatic conclave, in which more than 100 delegates from 25 member states and territories, including ministers, directors general of civil aviation, permanent representatives to the ICAO Council and key international organizations.
Authorities from participating organizations. (External source).
In that same vein, Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General of ICAO, stated that the Dominican Republic has consistently demonstrated its strong leadership and partnership with the international organization.
“Let me take this opportunity to highlight the importance of the Assembly reviewing ICAO’s Long-Term Strategic Plan for 2026-2050: the plan is our roadmap for navigating the dynamic developments that are transforming aviation,” Salazar suggested.
The representative of the international organization added that this is a call to action for all ICAO member states to achieve zero accident deaths and zero net carbon emissions, despite an expected increase of almost 300% in projected air traffic over the next 25 years.
Juan Carlos Salazar took the opportunity to urge member states and national governments to actively participate in efforts to achieve the organization's strategic objectives , contributing their experiences and technical knowledge with greater investment in the sustainability of their countries' aeronautical systems
During this Thirteenth Meeting of Directors of Civil Aviation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (NACC/DCA/13), held from the 4th to the 7th in the Dominican capital, topics such as “Towards a more effective execution, Aviation Security (AVSEC) and Facilitation (FAL)” and “Towards a more effective implementation: operational safety” are discussed.
In addition to the more than 100 international representatives participating in the event, the Director General and Deputy Director General of IDAC, Igor Rodríguez Durán and Paola Aimée Pla Puello, are hosting; Michael Gill, Director of the ICAO Legal Office; Christopher Barks, Director of the NACC Regional Office; and Fabio Rabbani, Regional Director of the SAM Regional Office.
Also present were Bartolomé Pujals, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); Héctor Porcella, President of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC); Brigadier General (FARD) Enmanuel Souffront Tamayo, Director General of the Specialized Airport and Civil Aviation Security Corps (Cesac); Víctor Pichardo, Executive Director of the Airport Department, representatives of the aeronautical sector, and special guests.
