There is a bill in congress that would change the name of the Las Americas International Airport to the Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez International Airport. The airport is the nation’s principal port of entry for passengers. A report in El Siglo newspaper gives the history of name changes of the airport. The first airport of Santo Domingo city was the General Andrews International Airport which was located inside the city, where today the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center is. In 1955, Dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo ordered the construction of an airport in the peninsula of Punta Caucedo, several kilometers east of the city on the southeastern coastline. Construction began in 1956 and it entered into service in 1958, although it was formally inaugurated in November 1959. An accident of a cargo airplane near the today Conservatorio Nacional de Musica caused contractors to accelerate the construction and relocation of the airport. By Decree 5311 of 10 November 1959, on the day the airport was inaugurated, it was named Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Caucedo. Then on 20 November of the same year, the name was changed to Aeropuerto Internacional General Trujillo, in tribute to the dictator. On 25 November, 1961, following the death of the dictator, the airport returned to its first name of Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Caucedo. Pan American World Airways was the first international airline to establish regular flights to Santo Domingo. President Dr. Joaquin Balaguer changed the name of the airport to Aeropuerto Internacional Las Americas by way of Law 389 of 18 December 1968. The highway leading to the airport bears the same name. On 20 May 1998, the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill whereby the name would be changed to Aeropuerto Internacional Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez in tribute to the Dominican politician who died in May. The bill is expected to be passed by Congress as the PRD has the majority in both houses of Congress. Dr. José Francisco Peña Gómez was the leader of the PRD since the 60s and was known for being one of the Dominican politicians with most international contacts.
