DP World and Grupo Puntacana are partnering to establish a new air cargo logistics hub in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. This initiative is expected to enhance the country’s position as the largest trade and logistics centre in the Caribbean.

The agreement between DP World and the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone (PCFTZ), a company of Grupo Puntacana, will create a logistics centre and infrastructure platforms capable of handling multimodal air, land and sea cargo. The operations are scheduled to begin in the latter part of the second quarter of 2023.

The logistics centre will utilize DP World’s vast experience in multimodal cargo management in the Dominican Republic and its world-class standards for logistics operations worldwide. The Punta Cana International Airport’s (PUJ) high connectivity to global distribution centres will also be leveraged. DP World has been operating in the Dominican Republic since 2003, with a port facility in the strategic location of the Punta Caucedo peninsula, facilitating the redistribution of cargo to the Caribbean, the United States, Central America and South America.

The agreement will also introduce a robust regional commerce strategy aimed at attracting a greater volume of re-export and import cargo to and from significant global commercial, industrial, technology and agricultural markets. The project’s ultimate goal is to increase investment in logistics services, create demand for logistics-related labour, and stimulate growth and diversification in the economy of the Dominican Republic.

“This new air cargo logistics centre with Punta Cana Free Trade Zone allows us to expand the range of services we can provide to our increasingly diverse customer base and help boost the country’s competitiveness. The facility will place the Dominican Republic on the world map as an air cargo hub for an increasingly broad range of products from around the region,” said Morten Johansen, CEO of DP World’s operation in the Dominican Republic.

“Our objective is to form alliances to increase connectivity in the nation and across the region. The more connectivity we can generate, whether by air or sea, the more attractive the Dominican Republic becomes for manufacturing and logistics companies in the Americas and beyond,” added Johansen.

Frank Elías Rainieri, Chairman and Founder of Grupo Puntacana, added: “This new air hub venture allows us to leverage the expanding transportation infrastructure of Punta Cana and accelerate the Dominican Republic’s transformation into the most important logistics hub in the region. Both DP World and Punta Cana International Airport are regional leaders in the airport, maritime and logistics sectors, and this project will be a unique opportunity to boost the economic and social progress of the Dominican Republic.”