The Dominican Republic is a small country, but the international airports of the Dominican Republic will make up a list of almost 10 operating airfields. All about Dominican airports, airlines, prices in duty free and much more I will tell in this article.

Table of contents:

Dominican Republic International Airports: General Facts

The Dominican Republic is a relatively small country. You can drive it all by car in 4-5 hours. But there are 8 international airports!!! And 7 local.

Such a high development of the aviation industry is caused by the following factors:

  • The Republic of Dominican Republic is an island state.
  • It can be reached by sea from 2-3 countries: Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico. Other possible options to get to the country – only by air.
  • The tourist flow (we take pre-coronavirus times) is simply huge. More than 14 million tourists a year, with a population of 10.5 million.

All these factors influenced the development of the aviation industry in the country.

punta cana airport arrivals area
These are the guys who meet tourists at Dominican airports

List of airports in Dominican Republic

Local airfields will not be considered in this article. Below in the table you will find all international Dominican airports, their codes, and below there will be a map.

№NameIATARunway length, mNearest city
1Maria MontesBRX3000Baraona
2La RomanaLRM2949La Romana
3Gregorio LuperonPOP3081Puerto Plata
4Punta CanaPUJ3100Punta Cana
5El CateyAZS3000Samana Peninsula
6CibaoSTI2620Santiago
7La IsabelaJBQ1500Santo Domingo
8Las AmericasSDQ3355Santo Domingo
Table of international airports in the Dominican Republic

What can be learned from the table:

  • If the runway length is more than 3000m, then by international standards such an airport can accept aircraft of almost any size.
  • The IATA code is an internationally unique three-letter code assigned to any international airport.
  • Numbers 3,4 and 8 in the table are the most important and busiest airports in the country. And they can receive huge wide-body airliners from all over the world.

But at the same time, these three airports divide the whole world geographically. If you want to fly from Europe to Puerto Plata, then you are unlikely to find such tickets. Since from the cities of Europe almost all planes fly only to Punta Cana and La Romano.

Important:

But from Europe there are ready-made charter tours (read direct flight) to the airport of the Samana Peninsula. This is very cool. Links where to buy such tours at the end of the article.
currency exchange at dominican airport
There is always a currency exchange at every airport. But more on that below.

What flights do Dominican airports accept?

Below is an indicative division by country of the world. This does not mean that a flight from Europe cannot arrive at another airport. It can. But in 90% of cases, flights are divided geographically.

  • Puerto Plata airport. Located on the north coast (map below). Flights mainly arrive here from: USA, Canada, Caribbean countries, Central America. By the way, proximity to the United States has made the Dominican Republic a popular resort among Americans. Like Egypt, Turkey for Europeans. Therefore, there are daily flights and there are many of them. It is the third busiest airport in the country.
  • Las Americas. The main airport of the Dominican Republic. Located 20 km from the capital, Santo Domingo. From this harbor there are flights all over the globe. But the most popular destinations are: Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, all of South and Latin America. As well as the African continent.
  • Punta Cana Airport and La Romano. Before Covid, the busiest airport in the country. The main passengers on these flights are from Europe and all over the Old World. Most of the flights are charter flights.
dominican airport passport control
This is the passport control area in Punta Cana. If necessary, they will be able to serve 3-4 aircraft at once. The throughput is huge.

Follow the link for an article about tickets and flights to the Dominican Republic from different cities of the world.

Infrastructure of international airports in the Dominican Republic

The vast majority of international flights to the Dominican Republic arrive at one of these three airports. What is available at each airport:

  • Car rental. For example, in Las Americas, there are about 10 counters of international car rental companies. Everything about car rental in this country in a large report at the link.
  • Currency exchange. The exchange rate, as in all airports in the world, is not very profitable. We recommend not to exchange the money here. And everywhere in the Dominican Republic you can pay in dollars. Read more about this in the article: currency and money of the Dominican Republic.
  • Taxi and transfers.
  • And of course, all three have duty-free. About the range and prices will be lower.
car rental at dominican airport
These are the car rental zones at all three main airports in the Dominican Republic.

Advice:

It’s surprising, but there is no public transportation (buses) at airports. The only option to leave from here is by taxi. Even on the website of the main and largest airport, it says: book a transfer or a taxi.

International airports of the Dominican Republic: map

Duty free: prices and assortment

About duty free at the international airports of the Dominican Republic, we can say the following:

  • The range is not very wide, especially if you want to buy a drink from international manufacturers.
    • Wine selection is modest. The whiskey range is better, but many good things are missing. And so on.
  • But duty free has a good selection of national souvenirs.
Rum in duty free Dominican Republic
This is a bottle of good rum, which is not a shame to bring as a gift to the boss. The duty free price is $45 or about 2600 pesos. And in any store it will cost about 1400 pesos.

Good to know:

If you forgot to buy something as a gift, you can do it at the Dominican airports.

Everything at the airport is very expensive. Prices for alcohol, cigarettes, souvenirs are 2-3 times higher. All this is cheaper to buy just in the shops of the country. Therefore, buy everything in advance, and in the duty free upon departure, when there is no other option, but the thing is very necessary. The photo in the article confirms this.

International airports of the Dominican Republic
Mamajuana for $14 is about 800 pesos. In a souvenir shop, 300-400 pesos is the limit for such a bottle.
dominican international airports souvenirs
Magnets at the airport for $5. And in souvenir shops on the beach for $ 2-3 and you can still bargain.

In conclusion: the international airports of the Dominican Republic meet all international requirements. This is not a tent in the field, as in Zanzibar. The infrastructure is intended to simultaneously receive several major flights. Just decide in advance the issue with the transfer to the hotel, and the rest is not so important.

Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Dominican Republic

  • Flights at the best prices with discounts
  • Car rental: DiscoverCars – a largest international resource
  • Hotels and apartments:
    • Hotellook – compares hotel prices among dozens of booking platforms and offer you the best price.
    • Booking – large online booking platform.
    • Agoda – even more accommodation options in Dominican Republic.
  • Vacation packages:
    • Expedia – best deals from Europe.
    • CheapOair – cheap packages from all US cities.
  • Tours, excursions and extreme activities:
    • GetYourGuide – more than 800+ tours and water activities.
    • Viator – 3500+ tours and excursions in Dominican.
  • Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
  • Internet and Calls:
    • Airalo – eSIM with internet package.
    • Drimsim – universal SIM card (or eSIM) in any country in the world.
  • Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel