First Transaero Boeing Jumbo Jet from Russia Lands in Punta Cana

The first Boeing 747-400 of Transaero landed at 1:15 in the afternoon on Sunday at the International Airport of Punta Cana. A modern airplane, replete with tourists and decorated in red, blue and white which happen to be the colors of the Dominican and the Russian flags.

“The Dominican market is one of the most popular in Russia. It is the one that is enjoying the most growth. We are receiving around 30,000 to 40,000 tourists a year,”

A total of 300 Russians of all ages were overjoyed as they landed at this scenic Dominican airport. Later they were escorted on a 12-hour journey to their tropical destination, according to a press release from the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR).

This group is made up of “high class tourists with significant buying power who normally travel with their families and stay in the best hotels; they buy excursions and, rather than just look for sun and nice beaches, they go to the cities, the mountains and partake of all that the Dominican Republic has to offer,” Ruscan Pirogov, local representative of Transaero Airlines, explained in a press conference on board the plane to a group of journalists and SECTUR personnel.

He announced that, due to the extraordinary stream of travelers from Russia, starting in November the airline will increase fights from 2 to 4 per week to and from Moscow.

Visibly moved by the premier of this Boeing 747-400 (the largest of the 747 series), Pirogov thanked Tourism Minister Félix Jiménez and Galina Lyssenko, Director of the Russian Tourism Promotion Office for the promotional support that contributed to the growth in the Russian market.

“The Dominican market is one of the most popular in Russia. It is the one that is enjoying the most growth. We are receiving around 30,000 to 40,000 tourists a year,” said the executive. And he is not exaggerating: 12,441 Russian visitors came to the DR in the first trimester of this year alone, a number that is up 31.1% with 9,072 at this same time last year (2007).

Normally this type of tourist visits the country for between 10-14 days and stays at the Meliá, Paradisus and Bahía Príncipe hotel complexes. Currently, 86.2% of Russian tourists arrive to the country at the Punta Cana airport. They tend to spend between $1,300 and $1,500 US dollars per person for the hotel; $250 to $400 on excursions and between $500 and $1,000 US dollars on souvenirs and other items.

On board the plane, Galina Lyssenko talked to the press about how important promotional work in the media, tourism fairs and Russian OPT tour operators were since the opening of the Russian OPT in December 2004. The most important market for the country has been in the Russian states, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan, explained Lyssenko.

Transaero has been operating in Punta Cana since December 2003 when it began with a flight carrying 230 passengers every other week. It is the first airline to fly regularly between Russia and the DR with flights on Thursday and Sundays in the 10,000 kilometer trip. The Boeing 747-400 is a double-decker with a capacity for 350 passengers: 11 seats in First Class, 56 in Business Class and 283 in Economy. In the first two rows of First Class passengers can recline their comfortable seats into 2-meter long beds in addition to the usual food, drinks and private TV screens for every seat.

The plane has a 19-member staff with four pilots and 15 cabin crew members. The price of a First Class round-trip ticket is $3.500, $2,000 for Business and coach costs $1,500 US dollars.