The Dominican Government confirmed the existence of an agreement with Haiti to establish an air bridge between the two countries “exclusively for preventive or emergency exits of Dominicans, staff of diplomatic missions, international organizations and humanitarian aid.”
According to the agreement, the airports that will be used on the Dominican side are: the “Presidente Doctor Joaquín Balaguer” International Airport (El Higüero) and the María Montez International Airport (Barahona), in addition to the Jimaní military heliport.
General Mao Gómez Vásquez, head of the Security Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex), indicated “This is the only air corridor available between the two countries, so any institution wishing to evacuate personnel must use this route” specifying that this airspace will be used “for 15 renewable days, to avoid recurring procedures”.
Each time a flight will be carried out, the Dominican Republic will communicate it to the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and vice versa) so that the two governments can keep track of the movements, adding that the planes intended for these operations will be rented or will belong to the institutions or organizations that carry out evacuations or humanitarian transport.
According to Vásquez’s statements, “There was a misunderstanding: the United Nations did not request an air bridge. What they’re going to do is use our bridge to transport humanitarian supplies and staff.”
