Spanish carrier Iberojet has kicked off its first-ever flights between Barcelona and Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic’s most popular tourism destination. 

The carrier is now operating two flights per week to Punta Cana, with service on Mondays and Fridays during the summer. 

Iberojet is running the service on Airbus A330 aircraft. 

The company launched the flight due to “the high demand that exists,” according to Orion Hernandez, production director for Iberojet. 

Iberojet has long operated service to Punta Cana from Iberian cities including Madrid, Porto and Lisbon, Hernandez said. 

That made Barcelona a natural progression. 

“We saw that demand was very good and we opted for two rotations a week,” he said. 

The first flight touching down in Punta Cana was carrying 250 passengers. If demand continues, Iberojet could add more flights, he said. 

Spanish travelers have always been a strong source of tourists to the Dominican Republic, particularly given the high number of Spanish hotel brands that operate in the destination — most recently, popular hotel brand Lopesan, which is now in Bavaro.