Press reports have been pointing to the fact that the expense of building the María Montez International Airport in Barahona, the third largest in the country, is currently without return as the government has not put it into service. It is reported that some RD$500 million has been spent in building the airport, including the purchase of a RD$50 million radar system. The airport was begun during the administration of President Salvador Jorge Blanco in the early 1980s. A report in the newspaper Hoy indicates that the Association of Hotels has proposed that the airport be put into service, and that its formal opening should take place at a later date. The government civil aviation authority went on record as saying it would be opened in December, but nothing has happened.
Tourist industry spokesmen say that several overseas investors are awaiting its opening before sinking money in the Barahona area, which is regarded as an ecological region for its many natural attractions which are out of the ordinary for the Caribbean – including a large below sea-level salt water lake. For the time being Barahona can only claim to having one percent of the total hotel rooms in the country – about 300.
Press reports point to construction problems, where water is apparently entering some areas. This will have to be resolved before expensive equipment is installed especially in the control tower.