Public Works Minister Manuel de Jesus (Freddy) Perez announced that in two months time, the airport of International Herrera will be closed. The government will open the Aeropuerto International La Isabela Doctor Joaquin Balaguer at Higuero for domestic flights. In order to open the airport for domestic flights, contractors that will benefit from the transfer of Herrera airport lands, covered the Duquesa dump. This is expected to reduce the number of birds that were attracted by the garbage dump.
As reported in Hoy newspaper today, the government invested RD$1.3 billion and US$31.2 million (another RD$900 million) in the construction and equipping of the airport whose construction began during the previous President Fernandez administration in 1997, at a time when that administration also oversaw the privatization of other airports. At the time, the site chosen for the airport was very much criticized.
La Isabela will be managed by Aerodom, that is also in charge of Puerto Plata, Las Americas, El Catey, Arroyo Barril, Maria Montez airports nationwide.
The airport technically has capacity for 150 to 200 flight operations a day.
So far the United States Federal Aviation Agency has rejected certifying the airport for international flights given that it was built in an area adjacent to a natural habitat of birds, the Isabela River. Engineer Claudia Francesca de los Santos, a deputy minister of Public Works, is optimistic that the airport will meet FAA requirements.