With the presence of the Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña, the General Directorate of Customs (DGA), and Siglo XXI Dominican Airports (Aerodom), will carry out the expansion and modernization of the DGA terminal for express mail in the Las Americas International Airportdue to the significant increase in the demand for freight transport.
This project is essential to guide the country towards a future in which the logistics chain is a preponderant economic region, but, above all, it prioritizes national security, quality and transparency.
In addition, it will allow the terminal to operate continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which will benefit users and generate new job opportunities.
The general director of Customs, Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, expressed that the main objective is to take advantage of the additional advantage of being a tourist country, with an excellent air connection, to turn the nation into an air cargo hub. He also clarified that they will be centralizing operations, extending their service hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and guaranteeing national security.
“It is important to say that, through 24/7 operations, the end user will obtain advantages such as: expediting the dispatch of the cargo, better safeguarding the cargo and improving traceability” he highlighted.
The head of the DGA indicated that a segment study on the hub was recently carried out, and among the relevant data it produced was that the Dominican Republic maintains one of the best air connections with the world compared to Central America and the Caribbean, with based on the index of
connection of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
It showed that a survey by the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ranked the Las Américas International Airport as the second best, in terms of the infrastructure-efficiency ratio for air cargo, only surpassed by Montevideo, Uruguay.
In this sense, Sanz Lovatón explained that only in March of this year there were some 7,300 tons available on passenger flights, and it is possible to have more than 10,000 tons, which represents a great opportunity for the country.
“This type of project contributes to directing the country towards a future in which logistics constitutes a preponderant economic area, maintaining national security, quality and transparency,” he pointed out.
For her part, the Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña, in her initial words, assured that given the sustained growth of express cargo shipments, by air, the country has been forced to streamline the way in which it is managed and , in which we adapt to changes in trade and, in turn, formulate new strategies and logistic facilities for handling these operations.
“Thank you yayo for so many things in such a short time. The vision of president, Luis Abinader, It is to consolidate the Dominican Republic as a world-class logistics hub, but not only that, but our main objective, within the goal, is to become the main efficient and safe logistics hub in the region,” he said.
The official also congratulated the DGA for its efficient management and highlighted its leadership at the head of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, chaired by its general director, Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, who has worked hand in hand with the Private Sector, and with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmchamDR) in its secretariat, promoting policies for trade facilitation and logistics development, achieving the completion of this important hub study, compliance with the measures of the facilitation agreement.
“That is why we are here today, leaving the construction work of the new facility started, which will bring great benefits for our purpose and for the users who, day by day, place their trust in each of the companies that intervene to offer these services. efficiently, which strengthens our economy, increasing the generation of formal jobs and, thus, the possibilities of a better quality of life for our people”, pondered Peña.
Mónika Infante, representative of Aerodom, expressed that they have fully assumed their commitments since they have made different investments to modernize and use the airports, being, in addition, today probably the largest taxpayer of income tax in the country’s tourism sector , having paid, in the fiscal year of 2022, the sum of about 45 million dollars.
He assured that the José Francisco Peña Gómez airport is the leader in air cargo transportation, in 2022 the terminals operated by Aerodom and Vinci Airports mobilized 190 million pounds of cargo, exceeding 8% in 2021.
“Our airport is the only one in the Dominican Republic that has the express mail service of the General Directorate of Customs, facilitating import processes, and thanks to the works that we started today, important results will be obtained,” said the CEO of Aerodom .
More about the project
Express cargo shipping, by air, is the most widely used mode of transportation in the world. Carriers of this type of cargo manage supply chains that span more than 220 States and regions in the world.
The annual increase in cargo volumes, in the range of 15% to 18%, in kilograms, has been the main reason behind the construction of the new terminal, to meet the growing demand and provide adequate storage space for cargo. mail companies. Currently, warehouse 5, of the terminal in operation, receives cargo from 39 transport companies.
mail, but its space is very limited compared to the number of packages it handles.
The new building has been designed in accordance with DGA standards and will have specific areas for merchandise reception, unloading, depalletizing, cages, administration and X-rays, which will allow these processes to be more fluid and efficient thanks to the increased of space available. The new structure will allow a better distribution of personnel and technological resources, making the terminal’s operating flows more efficient.
The expansion and modernization of the express mail terminal at the Las Américas International Airport is an important step for the economic development of our country. This project will bring great benefits to the logistics community in general. This is a determining factor for the Dominican Republic to consolidate itself as the authentic logistics hub of the region, covering both air and sea transport.