Domestic airlines feel the crunch

[NewsWhore]

Domestic airlines have joined the major international airlines serving the DR in asking the government to eliminate taxes to help reduce their costs. The airlines say that demand is down due to the high cost of flights, making matters worse at a time when they have to endure spiraling fuel costs and crippling airport tariffs. According to Hector Genao, Rafael Rosado and Omar Chahin Lama from the Association of Commercial Airlines, fuel costs earlier this year amounted to 40% of operational costs, but the proportion has since increased to 48%. Domestic carriers also want to pay their aviation taxes in local currency, not in dollars. Domestic airlines are primarily flying charter flights to get around the climbing cost of operation.

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