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A<\/SPAN>ir Dominicana, the first Dominican airline to embark on international flights, without restrictions, in more than a decade, presented its credentials on Wednesday in a historic ceremony held at the Cruceros Terminal of the Las Americas International Airport (AILA). <\/P> …Air Dominicana reaffirms its confidence in the Dominican economy which relies on tourism as its main generator of income. <\/P> Tourism Minister F\u00e9lix Jim\u00e9nez and Air Dominicana president Juan Jos\u00e9 Hidalgo oversaw the ceremony that was attended by members of the tourism industry and the press. The official launching of the airline took place a month after the arrival of the first plane of the fleet, a comfortable Boeing 737-300 with capacity for 148 passengers. It will make its first commercial flight around June 16 from Caracas, Venezuela, according to a press release from the Tourism Ministry. Mr. Hidalgo said that Air Dominicana reaffirms its confidence in the Dominican economy which relies on tourism as its main generator of income. He announced that, by summer, the Globalia Group will increase its tourism offerings by 40% in the DR and that it will then undertake a \u201chuge project\u201d that could generate jobs for 20 to 25 people. He specified that by next month Air Dominicana will incorporate a second fleet of planes. The first Air Dominicana plane is called \u201cPunta Cana”; the second will be baptized “Puerto Plata”; and the third, “Saman\u00e1”. <\/P> The first Air Dominicana plane is called \u201cPunta Cana”; the second will be baptized “Puerto Plata”; and the third, “Saman\u00e1”. <\/P> At this point, Jos\u00e9 Tom\u00e1s P\u00e9rez, Director of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC), added that the reliability of the airplanes as well as the quality and standards of the technical crew and staff of Air Dominicana have been duly certified by IDAC. F\u00e9lix Jim\u00e9nez, main speaker at the ceremony, stressed the great importance the airline represents for the DR, particularly in view of the current world crisis facing the aeronautics industry in the United States and that fact that 99% of all tourists arrive to the DR by airplane. Air Dominicana, without a doubt, will be an important alternative especially for Dominicans and foreigners who live here and who have been running into difficulties to travel to the United States and Puerto Rico because of the cutting back of flights by the traditional airlines, pointed out Jim\u00e9nez. He also revealed that it was President, Leonel Fern\u00e1ndez himself who suggested the name of the Air Dominicana when the project was being formulated during the first year the proposals went before Sectur in the 1996-2000 period. The Tourism Minister pondered the obvious vote of confidence in the DR by big investors such as Mr. Hidalgo and airline companies like Copa and Jet Blue who will soon increase the frequency of their flights to the country. After these speeches, Jim\u00e9nez, Hidalgo, representatives from the hotel sector and other Air Dominicana investors, came the cutting of the ribbon which marked the formal beginning of operations of the airline. Ten minutes later, at 11:10, the Boeing 747, decorated with the country\u2019s patriotic colors, passed under the traditional arch of water on the runway of the AILA. <\/P> Air Dominicana, without a doubt, will be an important alternative especially for Dominicans and foreigners who live here and who have been running into difficulties to travel to the United States and Puerto Rico… <\/P> At that moment, the Minister of Tourism announced that this first airplane of the new company will be called Punta Cana to be followed by Puerto Plata then Saman\u00e1 in honor of the three most famous tourism spots in the country. Later, everyone present, including the press and all invited dignitaries, were invited to go inside the plane with the Air Dominicana airline staff and pilots. Those attending the ceremony included Luis L\u00f3pez, the President of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants; Andr\u00e9s van der Horst, Executive Director of the Department of Ports and Airports; the Ambassadors of Spain and Italy, Diego Bermejo and Enrico Guicciardi and a full delegation made up of Tourism Ministry people and Dominican hotel industry representatives. Air Dominicana has selected Punta Cana as its base of operations given its strategic location and the huge amount of international tourists that come and go from this airport. The airline company is projecting a crucial value added element for the entire tourism industry and local aviation in general from \u201ca direct route between Punta Cana, La Romana, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Saman\u00e1, to South America, Central America, North America and the Caribbean.\u201d
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