AERODOM successfully restarts commercial operations of its airports

• More than 600 flights have been scheduled by 15 airlines during the month of July 2020 from the international airports of Las Américas, José Francisco Peña Gómez; La Isabela, Dr. Joaquín Balaguer and Gregorio Luperón in Puerto Plata.

Santo Domingo, RD- Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (AERODOM, subsidiary of VINCI Airports) reported the successful restart of commercial passenger air transport at its terminals, after having been suspended for more than three months due to the closure of borders in response to the spread of the established COVID19 coronavirus by the Dominican authorities.

At 7:53 am the Las Americas International Airport, José Francisco Peña Gómez received flight B6-1637 from San Juan, Puerto Rico, with which commercial flights officially resumed. Another 15 flights to cities such as New York, Madrid, Boston, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Newark in the United States and Spain marked the first day of commercial operations at this air terminal.

Likewise, a flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, together with Air Century, marked the beginning of operations at La Isabela International Airport, Dr. Joaquín Balaguer. The restart of the Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata is scheduled for July 4, which will have daily flights to New York and Miami.

Despite the fact that only cargo and repatriation flights were able to operate during the closure of the borders, the airports managed by AERODOM remained open and operational, providing an essential service to the country by maintaining air connectivity.

All flights and operations were carried out in accordance with the new hygiene measures VINCI Airports has put in place throughout its entire network and in strict adherence to the provisions established in the “Protocol to reactivate air services in the Dominican Republic” defined by the Dominican authorities, which orders to limit access to the air terminal only to passengers, maintaining the mandatory use of masks in the facilities, make temperature controls and delimit spaces to preserve physical distance at all times, among others.

“We are very grateful for the decision of the Dominican authorities to allow the restart of commercial flights. When connectivity is resumed, the recovery of air transport begins, on which other sectors depend, the main one of which is tourism. We are aware of the responsibility we have to carry out our operations safely for the passengers and employees of all our airports, “said Mónika Infante Henríquez, CEO of AERODOM.

The resumption of commercial air passenger operations will be gradual and will depend on factors such as passenger demand, the ability of airlines to launch their aircraft fleets and the operating conditions of destination airports. “At the beginning we will have fewer flights to limited destinations. As other countries progress in opening their borders, the offer of flights, destinations and passenger traffic will increase,” said the CEO of AERODOM, who emphasized that the global air transport system has been prepared with the highest levels of sanitary levels to resume air connectivity.

The protocol established by the Dominican authorities and applied by AERODOM establishes measures compatible with security and protection requirements, which allow passengers, crews, employees and visitors to be protected from contagion at all airports.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the risk of transmission of COVID-19 from one passenger to another during a flight is very low due to the arrangement of the seats, the use of HEPA filters and the direction of air flow to board. As additional protection, passengers should keep wearing masks at all times. To familiarize passengers with these changes, AERODOM has set up the VINCI Airports concerted campaign to raise awareness in all its airports: “Protecting each other”.

AERODOM has invested more than 25 million pesos in preparing its terminals for the safe restart of its activities, which include the acquisition of new technology such as self-service kiosks to allow a contactless process to be carried out at its terminals. It has been part of the VINCI Airports network since 2016, the leading global private airport group.

About Aerodom

Aerodom is a Dominican company that owns the concession to operate six state airports in the country, due in 2030. It handles an annual average of five million passengers. Since 2016, the company is part of the international airport group VINCI Airports, which is the leading global private airport operator responsible for managing and operating 46 airports in France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Serbia, Cambodia, Japan, United States United, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Chile and Brazil. In 2019, the global network of VINCI Airports handled 250 million passengers. More detailed information is available at www.vinci-aiports.com

About VINCI Airports

VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of 45 airports located in Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, France, Japan, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Served by more than 250 airlines, VINCI Airports’ network handled 255 million passengers in 2019. Through its expertise as a comprehensive integrator, VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and operates airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise the management and performance of existing airport infrastructure, facility extensions and modernisation projects. In 2019, its annual revenue for managed activities amounted to €4.9 billion, for consolidated revenue of €2.6 billion. www.vinci-airports.com