Travel plans have been thrown into disarray for passengers flying through one of the Dominican Republic’s busiest aviation hubs, after a wave of extreme weather in the United States forced widespread flight cancellations over the weekend.
Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom), the operator managing the country’s main airport network, confirmed this week that several scheduled services at Las Américas International Airport (AILA), located just outside the capital Santo Domingo, have been scrapped amid ongoing travel chaos across the U.S. East Coast and Southeast.
The cancellations are a direct knock-on effect of intense rainfall and sudden flash flooding that has battered large swathes of the U.S. this week, overwhelming infrastructure and forcing major air carriers to suspend operations across affected hubs. Spokesperson Luis José López, speaking on behalf of Aerodom, confirmed that three major airlines – U.S.-based carriers JetBlue and Delta Air Lines, and low-cost Caribbean carrier Arajet – are among the operators that have pulled their flights for the time being. The affected routes connect Santo Domingo to major U.S. destinations: New York, Boston, Orlando and Newark, all of which are currently grappling with the impacts of the severe weather system.
Local airport officials have moved quickly to advise impacted travelers, urging anyone planning to fly to or from Las Américas International Airport to reach out directly to their airline for real-time updates on their booking before heading to the terminal. In a statement, authorities stressed that even as disruptions continue to inconvenience passengers, preserving the safety of all passengers and crew remains the number one priority through the duration of the adverse weather event. Many passengers have taken to social media to share updates on their rebooking struggles, as carriers work through a backlog of disrupted trips once weather conditions improve.