DP World to launch new air cargo logistics hub in Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana

Partnership with Grupo Puntacana will expand role of Dominican Republic as key freight and logistics centre serving global markets

DP World and Grupo Puntacana have announced a joint effort to develop a new air cargo logistics hub in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, boosting the country's position as the largest trade and logistics centre in the Caribbean, DP World said in a press release.

The new facility is being created through an agreement between DP World and the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone (PCFTZ), a company of Grupo Puntacana. It will include a new logistics centre and infrastructure platforms capable of supporting multimodal air, land and sea cargo. Operations are expected to commence in late second quarter 2023.

The logistics centre will harness DP World's extensive Dominican Republic multimodal cargo management experience and world-class standards for handling logistics operations globally, as well as the high connectivity of the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) to global distribution centres. DP World began operations in the Dominican Republic in 2003 at its port facility at the Punta Caucedo peninsula, a strategic place for the redistribution of cargo to the Caribbean, the United States, Central America and South America.

In addition, the agreement will launch the deployment of a robust regional commerce strategy to attract a greater volume of re-export and import cargo to and from major global commercial, industrial, technology and agricultural markets. The project also aims to generate greater investments in logistics services, increasing demand for logistics-related labour and triggering growth and diversification in the economy of the Dominican Republic.