Airport Commission orders Aerodom to pay US$ 5 million for electrical failure at AILA

Santo Domingo. – The Dominican Airport Commission reviewed yesterday the preliminary report on the blackout that affected the Las Américas International Airport (AILA) and ordered the concessionaire Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom) to assume compensation to the Dominican State of 5 million dollars for the damages caused to passengers and airlines. According to the inter-institutional investigation, it was preliminarily determined that the failure originated from the collapse of the cell-disconnecting switch assembly of medium voltage in the north terminal, added to the unavailability of the backup circuit. Based on these findings, Aerodom will also have to assume the costs associated with the losses suffered by passengers and airlines during the interruption. The Airport Commission also ordered Aerodom to be notified of the reiteration of compliance with the contractual obligations established in Article 8.2.2. of the Renewed and Amended Concession Agreement. In addition, it recommended a structural intervention of the AILA electrical system, which must be completed within a maximum period of three months, in order to increase the reliability of operations and prevent similar incidents.

Among the immediate measures, instructions were given to submit the electrical plans and an official report of what happened within 48 hours, as well as to reinforce the terminal's crisis management protocol. The report also specified that the supply from the national grid or the internal emergency plants was never lost, so the failure is the sole responsibility of Aerodom, as it originated in a transmission cable that feeds the north terminal. The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (IDAC) certified that the airfield was never out of operation, as the control tower and the runway are powered by an alternate system, guaranteeing landings and takeoffs. However, to restore services in the north terminal, it was necessary to connect external plants and reactivate essential operations in a staggered manner.

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The investigating commission was made up of technicians from the Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Airport Department, the IDAC, the Specialized Airport Security Corps and external advisors.

About the power outage at the AILA terminal

The power outage on Sunday at AILA directly affected more than 5,000 passengers, causing flight delays and cancellations in the midst of the start of the travel day. Airlines such as Delta, JetBlue, and Arajet were forced to reschedule itineraries, which generated long lines and complaints at the counters of the north terminal. This incident has reignited the debate over Aerodom's responsibility for maintaining the facilities, after previous minor technical failures had already put the authorities on alert. The Government has warned that it will not allow negligence at a key point in national aviation, as it is the country's busiest airport.