✈️ Punta Cana Bans Third-Party Ground Handlers as Business Aviation Traffic Surges 42% Against the Trend
Avi-Go data shows that from January 1 to May 8, 2026, total business aviation movements at Punta Cana International Airport (MDPC) reached 1,849 operations, representing a year-over-year increase of 41.9% compared to 1,303 operations during the same period in 2025. Monthly growth rates ranged between 25% and 71%, with March recording a single-month surge of 59.9%. This robust growth coincides precisely with a window of dramatic policy change at the airport — as reported by AIN on May 4, 2026, MDPC has implemented a comprehensive ban on third-party ground service providers operating within the airport, with all general aviation ground handling now required to be provided exclusively by the airport's internal team. The Dominican Civil Aviation Authority (ACA) also issued a warning on May 1, noting that rising operational costs could give rise to illegal charter operations. The data and the concerns stand in sharp contrast: the inelastic demand for this Caribbean leisure destination appears sufficient, at least in the short term, to absorb the friction costs associated with this shift in service model.
Impact: Operators have effectively lost bargaining power at MDPC, as ground handling pricing and service standards will be determined unilaterally by the airport, increasing cost uncertainty. FBO and third-party ground handling providers face direct displacement, with existing client relationships and revenue streams severed, necessitating an assessment of the viability of relocating operations to nearby alternative airports.
Recommendation: Operators should complete a compliance assessment of MDPC's new ground handling procedures before June 2026, with a focus on verifying the internal team's service capabilities and fee structures, and incorporate cost changes into Caribbean route pricing models for the second half of 2026. Operators should also continuously monitor monthly movement data from June through September 2026 to determine whether demand resilience can be sustained into the off-season, providing a basis for decisions on whether to maintain operations to this destination.