Punta Cana International Airport (IATA: PUJ, ICAO: MDPC) is a privately owned commercial airport in Punta Cana, eastern Dominican Republic. The airport is built in a traditional Dominican style with open-air terminals with their roofs covered in palm fronds. A number of scheduled and charter airlines fly to Punta Cana. The airport handled more than 1 million visitors in 2002, making it the busiest airport in the Dominican Republic. The operators plan to upgrade the airport, including adding another runway.

Airport Expansion

The Punta Cana's Airport operators have planned an ambitious airport expansion project. The project consists of a new larger runway, expansion of the existing taxiway, construction of a new taxiway, a new control tower, the installation of the ILS, new frequencies of radio and the expansion of the International Terminal.

New runway planned

Due to increased air traffic, there are plans to construct a new runway in the near future. The runway will be built on the north side of the current runway and it will be able to accommodate a large aircraft such as the Airbus A380. This project is still in the planning stages, as it is still pending approval from the government. If approved, construction will commence at the end of 2008.

Traffic and Growth

Punta Cana's airport is the leading point of entry in number of arriving passengers in the Dominican Republic. It is also the fastest growing airport with almost a 20% increase in traffic yearly, which indicates that in less than 5 years the aircraft movements will double. At the moment the airport counts on two international terminals, one VIP, domestic and a FBO, a main incline with 12 positions.

Jose Marti International Airport, in Havana, Cuba and Punta Cana International Airport are the only two airports that connects flights with Russia. It makes Punta Cana's airport the only Latin American airport with direct flights to both Russia and the United States.

Punta Cana Group (Punta Cana's Airport owners) are discussing opening direct routes to the United Arab Emirates and to China in Asia sometime by 2008. Punta Cana International Airport will be the first Caribbean airport to have direct flights to Asia.

In the Caribbean, Punta Cana International Airport is surpassed only by Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, in San Juan, Puerto Rico and by Cancun International Airport in Cancun that are the first and the second airports respectively.

Airlines and destinations

International Terminal

International Destinations

• Aeropostal (Caracas)
• AeroRepublica (Bogotá) [seasonal]
• Air Astana (Astana, Kiev-Boryspil, Shannon)
• Air Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Moncton, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)
• Air Comet (Barcelona, Madrid)
• Air Europa (Madrid)
• Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
• Air Pullmantur (Madrid)
• Air Transat (Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, St. John's, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Puerto Plata)
• Aladia (Cancun)
• American Airlines (Miami, New York-JFK)
  • American Eagle (San Juan)
• American Trans Air (Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Norfolk, San Juan)
• Arkefly (Amsterdam, Puerto Plata)
• Avianca (Bogotá)
• CanJet (Halifax, Quebec City)
• Champion Air (San Juan)
• Condor Airlines (Frankfurt)
• Continental Airlines (Newark)
• Conviasa (Caracas) [seasonal]
• Copa Airlines (Panama City)
• Corsairfly (Paris-Orly)
• Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, New York-JFK)
• Edelweiss Air (Zurich)
• EuroAtlantic Airways (Faro, Lisbon)
• Eurofly (Milan-Malpensa)
• ExpressJet Airlines (Miami, San Juan)
• First Choice Airways (Nottingham, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
• Iberworld (Barcelona, Madrid)
• Jetairfly (Brussels)
• LAN Airlines (Miami, Santiago de Chile)
  • LAN Argentina (Buenos Aires-Ezeiza)
• Lauda Air (Vienna)
• Livingston Airlines (Milan-Malpensa, Antigua, St. Lucia)
• LTU International (Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf, Leipzig/Halle, Munich)
• Martinair (Amsterdam, Brussels, Varadero, Montego Bay, Puerto Plata)
• Miami Air (Miami, Bermuda, San Juan, Norfolk, Baltimore/Washington, Boston) [Seasonal]
• Monarch Airlines (London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
• MyTravel Airways (London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
• M&N Aviation (Aguadilla, San Juan)
• Myrtle Beach Direct Air operated by Sky King, Inc. (Atlantic City, Miami, San Juan)
• Neos (Milan-Malpensa)
• North American Airlines (Boston, New York-JFK, San Juan)
• Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul) [seasonal]
• Orbest (Lisbon)
• Sata International (Lisbon)
• Skyservice (Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton, Kitchener, Montreal, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Winnipeg)
• Spirit Airlines (Fort Lauderdale)
• Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) [seasonal]
• Sunwing Airlines (Bagotville, Gander, Halifax, London (ON), Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John's, Saint John, Toronto-Pearson)
• Thomas Cook Airlines (London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
• Thomsonfly (Birmingham, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK), Newcastle [begins May 4])
• Transaero (Moscow-Domodedovo)
• United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles)
• US Airways (Boston [begins February 16], Charlotte, Philadelphia)
• USA3000 Airlines (Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky [seasonal], Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis)
• Viva Air (Curacao, Santiago, San Juan)
• WestJet (Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto-Pearson [seasonal, begins December 13])
• XL Airways (London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
• XL Airways France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
• Zoom Airlines (Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa)

Domestic Terminal

Located next to the International Terminal, the domestic terminal is used for flights from others airports in the nation such as Las Américas International Airport, and Cibao International Airport and some private flights.

Domestic destinations

• Aerolineas Mas (Santo Domingo-La Isabela)
• Aeronaves Dominicanas (Santo Domingo, Samaná)
• Air Century (Santo Domingo)
• Caribair (Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, Samana, Montecristi, La Romana, Santiago) as international as (Nassau [Seasonal charter service], St. Maarten, Port of Spain)
• M&N Aviation (Santiago)
• Viva Air Dominicana (Santiago, Santo Domingo)
• Servicios Aereos Profesionales (Varadero, Bridgetown, St. Maarten, Port of Spain, Holguin, Curaçao, Aruba, Santo Domingo, Pointe-à-Pitre)
• Pan Am World Airways Dominicana (Santo Domingo [begins 2008])