The Punta Cana International Airport (AIPC) has seen the arrival of a Boeing 787, the latest generation for the very first time, meaning that the Dominican Republic is the first country in the Caribbean where a Boeing Dreamliner has landed.
The Thomson airlines airplane, which arrived from London with 300 passengers on board, will have a regular weekly flight until May 2014 when it will start flying here five times a week.
Grupo Punta Cana CEO Frank Rainieri said he was happy to see the new airplane land and that it demonstrated that Punta Cana airport was ready to receive large airplanes and an increased flow of passengers.
He said that the airplane was 25 to 30% more efficient in use of fuel than other aircraft; was much quieter inside and had better pressurization than normal planes.
He went on to say that the arrival of the Boeing 787 at Punta Cana had put the Dominican Republic on the world map as the first Caribbean destination to be visited by a 787.
Airport operations manager Alberto Smith said that the airport would be remodeled over the next few years as they were expecting to receive 8 to 10 million passengers. Punta Cana is the port of entry for 62% of the tourists arriving in the country and 57% of overall arrivals, with 300 flights a week.