puerto plata beach hotel
The beach at the Casa Colonial boutique hotel in Puerto Plata.
Flights

Copa Airlines Is Launching New Flights to Santiago and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - July 3, 2025 - 1:22 pm

In a major boost for tourism to the northern Dominican Republic, Copa Airlines is launching six new weekly flights from Panama to Santiago and Puerto Plata starting in January 2026.

Dominican Tourism Minister David Collado made the announcement, highlighting the significant expansion of air connectivity to two of the country’s most important destinations. The new service will include three flights per week to each city, using Boeing 737 aircraft with capacity for approximately 166 passengers.

“This is excellent news for Santiago and Puerto Plata,” Collado said. “With these new flights we expect a strong increase in connectivity and visitor arrivals, especially from South and Central America.”

The expansion is part of a push by the country’s government to “decentralize” tourism beyond Punta Cana and strengthen northern regions of the country as key players in the Caribbean travel landscape.

In the last few years, the Dominican Republic has been seeing record-breaking stayover visitor growth, although that trend has slowed so far in 2025.

Officials emphaized the importance of the partnership with Copa Airlines, calling it a key step in advancing sustainable tourism development and driving local economies.

Copa is a key bridge between the Caribbean, Central America and Latin America.

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