Russia through its Ministry of Transport and Rosaviatsiya, the Federal Air Transport Agency regularly works alongside the Interstate Aviation Committee and part of the Russian Federation government structure are working and coordinating with the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) of the Dominican Republic to restore direct flights between the two countries, according to Alexei Seredin, the Russian ambassador to the Caribbean nation.
The initiative aims to revive tourism, which dropped by nearly 90% following 2022 restrictions. Expected outcomes include non - stop flights will drastically reduce travel time (12 - 14 hours vs 22 – 31 hours avoiding layovers in Istanbul, Madrid and Panama), increased tourist volume, improved cooperation, and also potentially eased visa requirements.
The lack of direct flights from Russia to the Caribbean country reduced visitor from 178.955
travellers in 2021 to just 21.278 last year. Compared to 2019, when 208.000
arrivals were recorded, and this drop in operation
represents a loss of almosy 90% of
the market.
This move seeks to restore air connectivity suspended four year ago and reactivate passenger flows, that before the restrictions, positioned the Dominican Republic as the main destination for Russians travellers in the Caribbean.
The Russian ambassador to the Dominican Republic told RIA Novosti, a major Russian state - owned news agency that the Russian Federation formally offered the immediate resumption of services to boost the bilateral economy, although the implementation of the scheduled depends on the operational and safety guarantees and has to be defined by the aeronautical authorities of Russia and the Dominican Republic.
Current logistical costs are directly impacting the market. According to the Russian Association of Tour Operators, a tour package for two people in May, including accommodation in Punta Cana, costs 750 rubles (approximately $9.500) of which 84% is solely for airfare. Individual ticlets from Moskow average 300.000 rubles, which is triple the price recorded at the beginning of 2022.
Despite the tariffs, hotel prices in destinations like Bávaro and Samaná remain competitive compared to markets like Mexico. The Dominican tourism sector expects the reopening of direct air corridor to normalize demand, considering that in September 2021, the Caribbean country received more Russian citizens in a single month that in all of 2025.
In January 2022, there were approximately 20 regular flights per week between Russia and the Dominican Republic, with Ikar flew to Punta Cana from Ufa, Kazan, and Krasnoyarsk, and to Puerto Plata and Samaná from Moskow.
Norwind Airlines, a Russian leisure carrier based at Moskow - Sheremetyevo, specializing in charter and scheduled flights to domestic, Asian, and Caribbean destinations flew between Moskow and Samaná, and Aeroflot, Russia’s flag carrier and largest airline group between the Russian capital and Punta Cana.
Azur Air, a charter airline focusing on leisure travel to exotic destinations, on the other hand, flew to La Romana from Moskow - Vnukovo, Yekaterinburg, and St. Petersburg, and from Rostov to Punta Cana. All this represented an offer of more than 12.000 seats each week, according to Aviaciononline and the Russian Ministry of Transport and Rosaviatsiya are actively working to restablish this relevant business.
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