European low-cost carrier Air Europa is expanding in the Caribbean this summer, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The company is adding a route to a new destination in the Dominican Republic: Santiago, which has quietly been seeing a wave of new flight growth. 

The Spanish carrier will begin flying between Madrid and Santiago on June 27, the Dominican government confirmed this week. 

The route will operate twice each week, with service on Thursdays and Saturdays. 

Air Europa will be running the flights on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which the company said should shorten the flight time between the two cities by about an hour. 

Spain is increasingly an important source market for Caribbean tourism, both for the Dominican Republic and neighboring Puerto Rico, where Iberia continues to ramp up service.