Dominican Republic and Canada sign open skies agreement

The Dominican Republic and Canada signed the open skies agreement this Thursday afternoon, a negotiation that took some 14 years to socialize.

The agreement was signed by José Marte Piantini, president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), and the Canadian ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Christine Laberge, during an event led by President Abinaer at the National Palace.

Both Piantini and Laberge praised the economic advantages but did not detail the pact’s terms, which began to be discussed in 2008.

“The signing of this agreement is evidence of the commitment of both nations to consolidate and contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations in the field of civil aviation,” said the Dominican official, who described the treaty as “one of the most important agreements in the country” on aviation.At the end of the activity, the journalists approached Marte Piantini to elaborate on the details, but he indicated that he was going to a meeting.

On her side, Ambassador Laberge indicated that the open skies agreement would have benefits beyond tourism, such as mining, finance, energy, and manufacturing.

Later, the presidential press team detailed part of the signing: airlines will be able to operate beyond current frequencies, which will increase flights and diversify destinations between both countries.

In the same way, it will allow the multiple designations of airlines to exploit the services established in the routing table and replace them with another previously designated airline. Regarding capacity, the designated airlines will enjoy a fair and equal opportunity to supply the agreed services.

The statement indicates that frequencies and capacity of the agreed services are determined according to the commercial considerations of the market. It also includes mutually granting traffic rights up to the Sixth Freedom of the Air for passenger, cargo, and combined flights.

The agreement also includes provisions on ground handling services, charter or non-scheduled flights, and codeshare operations.

The statement indicates that with the pact, opportunities arise for both countries’ consumers, airlines, and airports since they can operate direct flights and connections from any airport in the Dominican Republic and Canada.

Source: Dominican Travel Pro