Santo Domingo Airport: Offering A New And Modern Experience For Those Who Travel

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Las Américas International Airport, José Francisco Peña Gómez is the gateway to the Dominican Republic’s capital city, Santo Domingo.

Las Américas International Airport, José Francisco Peña Gómez is the gateway to the Dominican Republic’s capital city, Santo Domingo. Managed and operated by AERODOM -a subsidiary of VINCI Airports-, the airport just concluded the expansion of the central atrium of the passenger terminal, which has been completely renovated relocating the security and outbound migration services to improve these processes and the passenger experience.

The expansion project contemplated the intervention of 16,404 square-foot, which also included the construction of a new shopping plaza with recreational spaces, duty free shops, restaurants and bars. This new plaza serves as a new retention zone where the commercial and gastronomic offer is concentrated, in benefit of the passenger experience.

Designed with respect for the environment, the new area at the terminal optimizes energy and water consumption as well as recycling: 100% of the waste produced will be reused or recycled, thanks to the sorting center installed by VINCI Airports in 2019 in SDQ. For its electricity supply, the terminal benefits from the photovoltaic panels installed in 2019, which cover nearly 30% of the airport's energy needs.

The works, which represent an investment of about €14M are part of VINCI Airports’ modernization and optimization plan to improve passenger experience and offer the best welcome to the Dominican Republic through the airport.

The Dominican Republic’s capital city, Santo Domingo is also the most modern and dynamic metropolis in the Caribbean. La Capital—as it is affectionately called—epitomizes the pulse of Dominican culture, where the old and the new converge seamlessly from centuries old architecture and history, to large shopping malls, art galleries, an electric nightlife, and a booming gastronomy scene.

Air travel to the Dominican Republic has rebounded sharply from the pandemic lows of 2020. Monthly arrivals from September through December 2021 broke records, allowing to receive over 5 million visitors last year, cementing a recovery for the Caribbean’s top tourist destination. Las Américas Airport recovered the traffic level of 2019 as early as mid-2021, driven by VFR and tourism.

The Dominican Republic have shown an advantage over some of its neighbors in the Caribbean, with a diverse market share. Even though “sun-seeking travelers” from the US West Coast held the most market share, the country is also well connected with Europe and the Americas.

Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports, declared: “The good recovery of air traffic in Las Americas airport demonstrates the effective cooperation between VINCI Airports and the public authorities of the Dominican Republic. Along with our 250 airline partners, we will keep supporting touristic development, and modernizing Las Americas airport is an important step of our long term commitment”.

Las Américas International Airport - José Francisco Peña Gómez is the main air terminal in the Dominican Republic due to its location. Since the Dominican borders were reopen on July 1, 2020, this airport had the quickest recovery, handling the largest number of flights and passengers in the Dominican Republic, with an average of 60+ daily flights.

Las Américas Airport was recognized in 2021 as one of the 10 best airports in Central America and the Caribbean by World Airport Awards from Skytrax, establishing itself as one of the most important in the insular Caribbean.

The new central atrium that was recently inaugurated allows a more pleasant and fluid process for all passengers, thanks to the new building for vertical circulation, with two elevators, an escalator and stairs that was built. The new outbound migration area has 18 passport control positions and 2 Autogate stations. The security area was also renovated, with 6 security stations, trace detection machines and secondary inspection area.

Flows have been optimized thanks to the introduction of specialized lanes for Fast Track, Family and reduced mobility. Also, the introduction of the Call to Gate system will allow to avoid mixing flows at the gates.

The gastronomic offer at SDQ is now world class, thanks to 7 new restaurants with differentiated offers that has transformed the dining options together with MGI Caribe, the company that operates the food and beverage outlets. Passengers now have the opportunity to seat, relax and enjoy delicious dishes at a continental cuisine restaurant (Vendimia), a Dominican cuisine (Mango´s Village), Asian cuisine (Eudon), American cuisine (Carl’s Junior), the Spanish concept of Tapas and Wines (Enrique Tomás), or have a delicious Dominican coffee and snacks at the country brand Santo Domingo Coffee Shop.

Also, a first of its kind in the country walk through Dufry store with more than 3,280 square-foot of store. Both global and local brands give travelers a diverse offering of food, snacks, and beverages to take with them on their journey, as well as an expansive selection of health and beauty products, including fragrances. The store also offers a broad assortment of electronics and audio products from leading brands.

“Alongside our local restaurants, global brands, and mix of retail options, this new central atrium is a fantastic innovative addition to SDQ and further boosts the guest experience at Santo Domingo’s neighborhood airport”, said Mónika Infante, CEO of AERODOM.

As the number of flights operated by major carriers continue to grow in this Caribbean hotspot, more and more travelers express how happy they are to visit Dominican airports and have expressed their reassurance by the new passenger journey.

AERODOM has been part of the VINCI Airports network since 2016.

This article is sponsored by AERODOM.