Punta Cana Airport Sets a Historic Milestone and Closes 2025 with Consecutive Records in Flights and Passenger Traffic
Punta Cana, La Altagracia. — Punta Cana Airport (PUJ) closed 2025 by reinforcing its position as the Dominican Republic’s main international gateway and one of the leading airports in the Caribbean in terms of traffic and operations. The airport recorded sustained growth and achieved multiple historic records for aircraft movements and passenger traffic within a single month, reflecting a comprehensive strategy focused on connectivity, service quality, and infrastructure development.
In December 2025, PUJ set three consecutive weekly flight records, reaching 812, 896, and ultimately 900 weekly flights, an unprecedented milestone that underscores the airport’s strong operational capacity during peak season. This performance was accompanied by an 11.5% year-over-year increase in passenger traffic for December, rising from 975,450 passengers in December 2024 to 1,087,621 passengers in December 2025. Additionally, total flight operations for the month grew by 12.8%, increasing from 3,062 flights in December 2024 to 3,453 flights in December 2025, further consolidating PUJ’s operational strength during the high season.
The year-end results confirm PUJ’s upward growth trend, with more than 11 million passengers movements in 2025, representing a 9.9% increase compared to 2024, while total aircraft operations rose by 15.6%, reaching 35,092 flights. This performance was driven, among other factors, by the launch of new strategic routes to key markets such as France, Mexico, the United States, Colombia, and the Eastern Caribbean, as well as the expansion of international airlines that continue to invest in Punta Cana as a regional tourism hub.
PUJ’s operational growth was further supported by major international recognitions, including Level 3 Customer Experience Accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI), a 4-Star Skytrax rating, recognition of its VIP Lounge by Priority Pass, and recertification under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. Infrastructure improvements also played a key role, such as the expansion of Terminal B parking facilities and the recent inauguration of the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone (PCFTZ), the first logistics park in the region to operate within an airport.
These results reaffirm Punta Cana Airport as one of the airports with the highest international passenger traffic in the Caribbean and Latin America, highlighting the positive impact of a strengthened tourism ecosystem supported by new hotel openings, strategic partnerships, and a vision focused on delivering a safe, efficient, and memorable travel experience, reinforcing its role as a key driver of the country’s economic and tourism development.
About Punta Cana Airport (PUJ)
Inaugurated in 1983, Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) is the world’s first privately owned international commercial airport and the busiest and most connected airport in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. It connects 81 international airports in 26 countries and handles approximately eight million passengers annually.
The airport features two runways, 41 boarding gates, 45 aircraft parking positions, and four VIP lounges. It also operates its own Recycling and Incineration Center, where approximately 60% of the waste generated by airport operations is processed.
PUJ has been recognized for eight consecutive years (2015–2023) by Airports Council International (ACI) as “Best Airport by Size and Region” in the 5–15 million passenger category for the Caribbean and Latin America. It also holds Level 3 certification under ACI’s Customer Experience Accreditation Program and a 4-Star SKYTRAX certification, the global benchmark for airport service quality, operational efficiency, and passenger experience. In addition, the airport has achieved Level 3 Carbon Accreditation and has twice received ACI’s “Best Hygiene Measures by Region” award, reaffirming its commitment to operational excellence, health safety, and passenger experience. For more information, visit: www.puntacanainternationalairport.com
