Samana Airports

[Suzanne]

I heard from a somewhat reliable source who rents out a house in Samana that there are workers renting her house who claim that a close friend of President Hipolito is taking over Arroyo Barril Airport outside of Samana and that this new company will indeed finish the runway, regardless of the new airport in El Catey. In other words, the province will have 2 international airports that can handle 747's and Airbuses! Anybody else heard that.

Have they started working on El Catey? When I was there again in December on holiday, there was only a small gravel road and nobody working.

Also understand from a friend in the hotel business in Punta Cana that a hotel company from Bavaro is scouring Las Galeras looking to buy +25,000 square meters close to the ocean.

Any work started on water to Las Galeras? Is it still dry as a bone?

 

[Andy]

What is happening with the Samana airport is anybody's guess. The private consortium that operates the 4 airports of which Samana is one, has said that they will finish the Samana Airport as a REGIONAL airport handling mostly private aviation and build the el Catey airport as the International one. Regardless of what you've been told, it will be very difficult to finish Arroyo Barril as an international strip due primarily to terrain restrictions. It may be that the consortium is adding a partner to operate the existing Samana airport. Frankly, the entire thing smells,... no stinks of politics.
A very large piece of oceanfront property in Las Galeras was in fact recently sold to a group of American investors. However, nothing else is known at this time.