The Airport Commission has announced that all parties participating in the tender to award concessions to operate public airports should submit these from 8 am to 12 noon at the Dominican Fiesta Hotel in Santo Domingo. The bids are for the "Proyecto de Concesi?n y Desarrollo de Infraestructuras Aeroportuarias para la Rep?blica Dominicana" that was announced on 11 September. The project seeks private capitalization of the rehabilitation, expansion and modernizing of several of the principal airports in the DR. The government estimates an investment totaling RD$2,300 million (more than US$150 million) is needed to prepare Dominican airports for traffic expected within the next 10 years. Airports where privatization is being considered are those located in Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and Barahona, as well as the Arroyo Barril airport under construction in Saman?. Three fully privately-owned airports operate successfully in the DR. These are the Punta Cana International Airport serving East Coast traffic, the La Romana International Airport, that primarily services Casa de Campo, and the Portillo Airport in Samana to which Las Terrenas and Portillo tourists arrive.
