The variables in which the Dominican Republic is most competitive are openness of countries and governance of the aeronautical authority, both with a score of 4.55 and 3.83 respectively.
SANTO DOMINGO – The Dominican Republic stands out among the most competitive countries in air transport in the region, according to the 2022 Air Transport Competitiveness Index in Latin America and the Caribbean, which identifies and analyzes the conditions and factors that influence the development and competitiveness of the industry, as highlighted by the president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) of the Dominican Republic, José Ernesto Marte Piantini.
“This Wednesday the 7th we celebrate International Civil Aviation Day and find ourselves occupying the number 8 position in the ranking of the best connected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, consolidating our leadership in the region, this added to the fact that since September we have exceeded the flow of passengers transported in 2019, positioning the country as an international benchmark in air connectivity,” the official declared.
Piantini reported that the country is among the top 10, along with Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Guatemala, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Panama, as the nations that stand out in terms of Air Transport Competitiveness.
The report
The report, prepared and presented by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) and Amadeus, a technology solutions provider for the travel industry, considers 10 variables that measure different aspects affecting aviation: taxes, fees and contributions, market potential, connectivity, fuel and airport service quality, COVID-19 reopening measures, market accessibility, airport quality, airport costs, overflight costs, and aeronautical authority governance. Each of these variables is scored from 1 to 5. A score of 1 represents the lowest level of competitiveness, while 5 represents the highest level of competitiveness.
In the study, the Dominican Republic ranks eighth with a score of 2.90, considered average. No Latin American country surpasses 4.00 points, highlighting the challenges facing the region. The Dominican Republic's most competitive areas are country openness and aeronautical authority governance, with scores of 4.55 and 3.83, respectively.
Entry to the Dominican Republic is easy due to the absence of restrictions, which facilitates the flow of international travel. It also boasts one of the highest-rated civil aviation authorities in the world.
The three most competitive countries are Mexico, Brazil, and Panama, with scores of 3.69, 3.43, and 3.42, respectively. Costa Rica (3.28) and Colombia (3.24) also stand out, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. The least competitive countries in the region are in the Caribbean, notably Haiti (2.51), Barbados (2.53), and Jamaica (2.64).
Marte Piantini emphasized that “we are promoting a liberalized air transport policy to further strengthen our air connectivity with traditional and non-traditional destinations.”.
“The Open Skies policy implemented by the country through the Civil Aviation Board has not only directly boosted connectivity by establishing new air routes, but has also fostered the development of other sectors such as tourism, trade, and greater job creation,” he said.
Commercial Aviation in the Dominican Republic
The president of the Civil Aviation Board stated that there is no better way to commemorate International Civil Aviation Day than by sharing the achievements of our country in the field of civil aviation. “We have achieved a more consolidated and strengthened sector over these two years of management, with 222,571 air operations carried out, 62 new routes, the presence of 533 airlines, 24 approved commercial cooperation agreements between airlines of different nationalities, 26,545,652 passengers transported, and estimated direct and indirect revenues for our country of US$24.532 billion,” he explained.
Marte Piantini also reported that in March of this year “we witnessed firm steps towards the integration of regional air transport, when the Dominican Republic was elected to the Second Vice Presidency of the Executive Committee of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (CLAC) for the period 2022-2024.”.
The public official noted that this year the country definitively signed five Air Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding with Spain, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and the State of Qatar. He added that the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) is currently proactively negotiating air service agreements with more than 20 countries, including Canada, Brazil, Cuba, Switzerland, Argentina, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, and many others.
