ALTA welcomes Ferrand & Alvarez Legal Consultancy as a new consulting member

Panama, august 12, 2024  – The Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) announced that the Dominican firm, Ferrand & Alvarez Legal Consultancy, has been elected as a consulting member. The firm, led by Juan Antonio Ferrand Pujals, who has specialized for over a decade in Aviation Law, Corporate, Business, Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment, Tourism and Construction Law, has become part of an exclusive membership of this prestigious and important group.

Within the framework of their last meeting, José Ricardo Botelho, ALTA's Executive Director, recognized the importance of the local market as a key part of the aeronautical trade scheme, and the need to count on strategic partners to promote and facilitate the growth that, in fact, has been evidenced. Accordingly, he expressed that “Air transport in the Dominican Republic has been growing at a 4.17% average annual rate since 2005 and in 2023, 17.5 million passengers were mobilized to and from the country. It is the Caribbean country that receives the most tourists, representing 29% of the tourists in this region and the only country in the Caribbean that has practically doubled the number of international tourists since 2010, from 4.1 million to 8.1 million in 2023.”

Botelho continued by stating that "having a local law firm involved in ALTA's initiatives is essential to continue making the country competitive in air transport and, thus, the travel and tourism industry will keep growing for the benefit of the country and all Dominicans. Welcome Ferrand & Alvarez Legal Consultancy.

Recently, Juan Ferrand was appointed as correspondent of the Instituto Iberoamericano de Derecho Aeronáutico y Espacial for Miami and the Dominican Republic. The Institute, founded in 1964 at Universidad de Salamanca, is a private entity bringing together over one hundred and fifty jurists specialized in aviation and space law from all over Ibero-America, who promote legal discussion from their local forums, and weave together the experiences in international spaces, thus providing the most effective answers to the problems of the sector.

Among the services offered by this firm, which has a vastly experienced team specialized in aviation law, are the legal representation of air operators before aeronautical authorities, management of operating permits for domestic and international routes, advice on continuous monitoring, processing of air operator's certificates, dispute resolution, preparation of technical manuals, aircraft registration and transfer, preparation and registration of aircraft contracts, aviation tax and accounting advice, airport planning and finance, aviation insurance advice, negotiation of air transport treaties, airport management, satellite law, among others.

During June, the Dominican Republic's international air traffic increased 10.4%, reaching 1.6 million passengers and 5.1% in flights. The Punta Cana (PUJ) – Orlando (MCO) route grew by 74.5% in total passengers carried vs. June 2023, while flights between the two airports increased by 73% with 88 additional frequencies. There was also a 116% increase in flights to Cartagena, with 28 additional frequencies.