<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History of Cibao International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">Plans for the construction of the airport were first proposed in 1969. In The Cibao International Airport Corporation was created on March 29, 1978, with the cooperation of Jos&eacute; Armando Bermdez (president), Vctor Espaillat, Manuel Arsenio Urea, Dr. Jos&eacute; Augusto Imbert, Mario C&aacute;ceres, and Ing. Carlos S. Fondeur, who acquired the land necessary to build the new airport. The construction of the airport began on February 15, 2000, and was finished in 2002. The airport was inaugurated on March 18, 2002, with two direct flights to San Juan operated by American Eagle in May 2002, Aeromar Lineas A&eacute;reas Dominicanas made the first direct flight from Santiago to JFK Airport in New York. Later that month, American Airlines and North American Airlines began direct flights to New York, Miami, and San Juan. A few months later, Continental Airlines began direct flights from Newark. This was followed by direct service by JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines, both from New York. Aeromar became Santiago's secondary hub after Las Am&eacute;ricas International Airport.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In 2003, Aeromar Lneas Aereas Dominicanas stopped their flights into Santiago after the airline stopped operations.</p>
<p class="blog-para">By the end of 2005, the airport's operator had begun one of the biggest expansions for this airport. They expanded the customs hall and rebuilt the west and east sides of the terminal. The terminal saw the addition of a second floor. This expansion was finalized in 2006. The runway's 400-meter (1,300 ft) expansion is currently in folders, but there is no scheduled date to begin or conclude this expansion yet.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In December 2019, there were plans by Frontier Airlines to operate flights from Newark, New Jersey, to Santiago. However, their plans to operate the EWR-STI route were canceled due to airport restrictions. That route was successful, however, as JetBlue was operating direct flights on the EWR-STI route as of October 2022.</p>
<p class="blog-para">Up until January 2020, the airport operated on private land which wasn't paid to the original owners; the current administration was plagued with multiple lawsuits, with the lower courts siding with the land owners. The case is currently in the Supreme Court.</p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3">Infrastructure of Cibao International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The Cibao International Airport infrastructure consists of the main international terminal, a domestic terminal, and a cargo terminal.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The international terminal is the most utilized and receives most of the flights operating here. It has modern installations to make the check-in, boarding, and baggage claim processes easier.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The airport's owners are planning to expand the runway and construct a new taxiway next to the runway by the next year.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The runway length is 2,620 m, which can support all types of passenger airliners. The airport's operators are discussing the expansion of the runway to allow larger aircraft for long-haul flights from Europe.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Taxiways:</strong> Cibao International Airport's taxiways are composed of two exits, E-1 and E-2; E-1 is located on the west side of Runway 11/29, next to the direction 11 of that runway. E-2 is located on the east side of the runway, next to direction 29 of the runway.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="History of Cibao International Airport" src="../../../main/img/airport/ciba/98.webp" alt="History of Cibao International Airport" width="950px" height="500px"></p>