SANTO DOMINGO.- Starting at 10 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. Wednesday, the airports of Las Américas, La Isabela and La Romana will be closed, as part of the preventive measures against the passage of Tropical Storm Franklin through Dominican territory, the Dominican Republic Tourism Cabinet announced Tuesday afternoon.
As of now, Punta Cana International Airport is expected to maintain its regular operations. However, María Montez International Airport was not included in the plan because its regular operating hours are from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m., which are the anticipated storm impact times.
In the case of Cibao International Airport, Gregorio Luperón International Airport and El Catey International Airport, the authorities determined that they will cease operations from midnight and resume them from 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday.
The Cabinet indicates that the measure is being taken following the recommendations of the technicians of the National Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) in the face of the passage of Tropical Storm Franklin, which threatens to intensify and hit the Dominican Republic as "a strong tropical storm".
He also warned that the opening times of the different airports will be kept under observation to advance or delay the scheduled times, given the erratic movement of the storm.
JetBlue cancels flights
US low-cost airline JetBlue announced the cancellation of its flights to and from the Dominican Republic due to Tropical Storm Franklin.
"JetBlue's system operations center continues to monitor and track Tropical Storm Franklin, as we remain focused on the safety of our customers and crew members," the airline said in a statement to Diario Libre.
The airline warns its users "of the possibility that more cancellations may be necessary," justified by "the storm's trajectory and the logistical challenges" that the airline may face after the passage of the atmospheric phenomenon.
"We will work to rebook affected customers on upcoming flights, or provide them with a refund," JetBlue said in the statement.
The airline recommends that passengers confirm their flight status before heading to the airports.
About six flights at Dominican airports were canceled this Tuesday due to the tropical storm, including three flights scheduled for tonight at the Las Américas International Airport José Francisco Peña Gómez (AILA).
Meanwhile, the flight tracking website Flightawareshows three more canceled flights, one to New York City and another to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Tropical Storm Franklin is expected to hit the west of the island.
The canceled flights are: two Copa Airlines flights to Panama, one Air Antilles flight to Guadeloupe, one JetBlue flight to New York City, and one JetBlue flight to Puerto Rico. Another canceled flight is JBU309, which was scheduled to depart from New York's JFK Airport at 3:42 pm.
