Last week, Laureano Guerrero Sánchez, the new director of the Comisión Aeroportuaria, the government department in charge of national airports, announced in an interview with the Listín Diario that one of his priorities is to begin work on the reconstruction and remodeling of the old terminal at Las Americas airport. The old terminal was destroyed by a fire some four years ago. When the south terminal of the airport was opened, the plan was to begin work at once on the old terminal. But this did not happen. Instead, the government doubled the capacity of the Puerto Plata airport, completed the Barahona airport, and began the construction of the new one at Samana. Now, the passenger flow at the country’s principal airport, the Aeropuerto Internacional de las Américas, has increased to the point where the terminal must be put back into service and its repair has become urgent. Mr Guerrero says he is planning the work and its cost for presentation to President Leonel Fernández so that work may begin early in 1997.
He also announced that by next month the mechanized parking system will be in place. He said that he will review contracts given to the sellers of food and merchandise at the airports of Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata because the previous authorities permitted the establishment of innumerable businesses, way and beyond the planned capacity of the terminals, and also in areas reserved for passenger circulation. Airport security will also be reinforced, including the construction of a fence to prevent the practice of people throwing suitcases from aircraft to be picked up by persons already at the terminal. Laureano Guerrero Sanchez also said his department will be installing seats in the waiting area for arriving passengers.