
The Dominican Republic and Brazil signed an Air Transport Services Protocol to update the aviation agreement from 2019. Jose Ernesto Marte Piantini, president of the Civil Aviation Board signed for the DR and Brazilian ambassador Renan Leite Paes Barreto for Brazil. Marte Piantini said the signing comes after a year of negotiations.
The agreement expands air operations, streamlines travelers’ services and creates more options when flying to and from either country. It also expands market access for both passenger and cargo airlines to fly between the two countries and beyond.
Brazil has historically been the fifth most active market for Dominican Republic travel. Marte Piantini says the government seeks to strengthen this market.
Seeking to strengthen economic growth, Marte Piantini said the agreement establishes traffic rights up to sixth freedom and seventh freedom of the air in cargo operations, with no limits on frequency, capacity, routes, types of aircraft and cargo destination.
Sixth Freedom of The Air is the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, of transporting, via the home state of the carrier, traffic moving between two other states (also known as a Sixth Freedom Right).
Seventh Freedom of The Air is the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one state to another state, of transporting traffic between the territory of the granting state and any third state with no requirement to include on such operation any point in the territory of the recipient state, i.e the service need not connect to or be an extension of any service to/from the home state of the carrier.
During the meeting in which the representatives of both countries signed the document, Marte Piantini described the signing as a historic update with new cutting-edge provisions on passenger and cargo transportation that will generate tangible benefits for merchants and investors in the sector. “Promoting air transport with other nations is of great importance for the government headed by the President of the Republic Luis Abinader,” said the official.
The Brazilian ambassador in the country, Renan Leite Paes Barreto considered that this signature would contribute to the regular operation of direct flights between the two countries by airlines of both countries and thus strengthen the excellent bilateral and Dominican-Brazilian business ties.
The diplomat informed that the flow of passengers between the two territories grew in 2022. He described as “surprising” the reciprocity that the two countries are experiencing.
Marte Piantini highlighted that from January 2017 to February 2023 passenger flow between Brazil and the Dominican Republic was 279,852 travelers to and from mainly the cities of São Paulo, Brasilia and Manaus. He highlighted that the São Paulo/ Punta Cana route is the busiest between the two countries. There were 3,542 regular flight operations in the indicated period.
In this regard, he reported that during the first two months of the year 2023, Brazil is in 20th place, with around 10,000 passengers transported on inbound and outbound flights. This number represents a 34% growth compared to the same two months of the previous year.
Similarly, he highlighted that between 2010 and 2018, the Dominican Republic captured US$22,358.7 million in direct Brazilian investment. He stressed the importance that civil aviation has for attracting capital to the markets.
Marte Piantini recalled that during the first session held this year, the plenary members heard the request to amend the Certificate of Economic Authorization (CAE) of the national operator ARAJET to fly from Santo Domingo to the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Manaus in Brazil.
The document was signed by the president of the CAB, in the presence of Nasim Antonio Yapor Alba, member of the CAB, president of the Agreements Committee and alternate representative of the Dominican Republic to the ICAO; Denisse Alejandra Cabral Núñez, director of Latin American relations at the Ministry of Foreign Relations; Paola Aimée Plá Puello, secretary of the plenary session of the CAB; Juberkis Luciano, in charge of Air Transport and María Luisa Hernández Rodríguez, coordinator of international agreements.
The document was signed by Brazil Ambassador Renan Leite Paes Barret, Brazilian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, accompanied by María Aparecida Weiss, counselor of the Brazilian Embassy in the country; Gustavo Maultasch de Oliveira, first secretary of the embassy and Arelis Marisol Germán de Miller.
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Civil Aviation Board
18 April 2023