The Punta Cana Air Cargo Hub was created through a joint effort between DP World and Punta Cana Free Trade Zone (PCFTZ), a subsidiary of Grupo Puntacana, with the intention of making the Dominican Republic a leading player in global trade and logistics.
The hub has an air cargo terminal, logistics centre, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, a fuel supply terminal, an aircraft maintenance and repair centre, and a general service building.
It builds on the existing export warehouse, in-transit warehouse and import warehouse, and its integration with Punta Cana International Airport enables multimodal air, land and sea transport.
Morten Johansen, Chief Operating Officer of DP World Americas, says, “The beginning of the early-stage operations in this advanced air cargo logistics centre significantly broadens the range of services we can offer to our growing list of customers. This hub is poised to position the Dominican Republic prominently on the global stage as a key player in air cargo for a wide variety of products from across the region.”
In the first stage, the hub is receiving cargo via land transport then shipping it by air through Punta Cana International Airport.
DP World is transitioning operations to the new facility and all air cargo operations will be centralised through the hub by the end of this year.
Sea-air connections with the Punta Cana hub are being discussed with several countries including Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile.
60-70% of cargo consists of perishables and the hub can handle other products including machinery, automotive equipment and seafood, with plans to diversify into the pharmaceutical, technology and e-commerce sectors.
Further expansion is underway with the logistics centre warehouse and manufacturing facilities under construction and are projected to be operational by the second half of 2024.