New Air Services Agreement signed between Cuba and The Dominican Republic

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

August 1, 2023 – Cuba and Dominica have deepened their ties with the signing of an updated air services agreement that ends restriction on the number of airlines that can operate between the two countries.

According to José Ernesto Marte Piantini,  President of Dominican aviation regulator Junta de Aviación Civil (JAC),  in a statement, the new agreement allows “all national airlines [to] operate passenger, baggage and cargo air transport services from the national territory to Cuba and vice versa.”

He further highlighted that the signing was done to update the document which was signed 18 years ago in 2005, to “increase the flow of passengers, trade, connectivity, and consequently air transport between the territories.”

Since 2005 prior to the recent signing, the Cuba- Dominican air services accord limited each country to designating two airlines to fly between the markets.

Additionally, the Dominican regulatory body said the new agreement puts the countries under a commitment to institute illimitable frequencies for the operation of air services on certain routes and allows Dominican airlines to up “their frequencies” to Havana.

Also, JAC says both countries further agreed to jointly analyze “the capacity of air services between both states, the current needs of the market, and increasing the number of flights between both territories.”

This new development puts Cuba and the Dominican Republic in a lucrative spot for the future in aviation.

Piantini expressed that two of the most important economies in the Caribbean are now closer, “in terms of commercial aviation.”