Dominican Republic-US Open Skies Pact Seen Delivering Lower Airfares, Increased Connectivity

Image: Travelers to the Dominican Republic will benefit from lower airfares and increased access under the Open Skies agreement, say officials. (Photo by Brian Major)

by Brian Major
Last updated: 10:20 AM ET, Tue August 6, 2024

Lower airfares and increased availability to the Caribbean nation will result from the Open Skies agreement signed this week between the Dominican Republic and the United States, said U.S. and Dominican Republic officials.

Formalized in an August 4 ceremony at the Dominican Republic National Palace in Santo Domingo, U.S. under secretary of state Jose W. Fernandez and David Collado, the Dominican Republic’s tourism minister signed the agreement to “bring the civil aviation transportation relationship between the United States and the Dominican Republic to the highest modern standard,” according to the U.S. State Department.

The agreement will be finalized following “an exchange of diplomatic notes confirming that all necessary internal procedures for entry into force of the Agreement have been completed,” said officials.

Once in operation, the agreement will deliver assistance including “unrestricted capacity and frequency of services for both passenger and all-cargo carriers, open route rights, an open charter regime, self-handling provisions and open code-sharing opportunities,” said State Department officials.

“Air carriers will be able to provide more affordable, convenient and efficient air services to travelers and shippers, promoting tourism and commerce,” said the State Department. “The agreement will also commit both governments to high standards of aviation safety and security."

“It’s a blueprint, an agreement that is going to save passengers money,” said Adriano Espaillat, a U.S. Congressman (D-NY) and the first Dominican-American and first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress.

Espaillat delivered his remarks while attending the ceremony. “This consumer-friendly agreement will provide more flight options between the United States and the Dominican Republic, reduce airfares, increase travel and trade,” he said in a Dominican Today report.

The agreement is part of the Dominican Republic’s strategy to establish the country as a “regional air connectivity hub,” under Luis Abinader, the country’s president, said Dominican government officials.

Average fares are 32 percent lower on routes subject to Open Skies agreements, according to data from the U.S. Travel Association. The federal government has Open Skies agreements with more than 130 partners, governing 70 percent of international departures from the United States, according to the State Department.

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