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Airport comparison

Dominican Republic Airports: All 8 International Airports, a Map, and Which One Is Closest to Your Resort

The Dominican Republic has eight international airports: Punta Cana (PUJ), Santo Domingo Las Américas (SDQ), Santiago Cibao (STI), Puerto Plata Gregorio Luperón (POP), La Romana (LRM), Samaná El Catey (AZS), La Isabela in northern Santo Domingo (JBQ) and Barahona María Montez (BRX). A ninth, at Oviedo in Pedernales, is due to open in 2027 (IDAC). Santo Domingo has two airports (SDQ and JBQ); Punta Cana has one (PUJ).

The airport with the cheapest flight is not always the easiest arrival. Search your exact accommodation to compare the road journey from the seven airports in the finder, see how much time each alternative adds, and carry the right airport and resort into your transfer booking.

Still deciding where to go — haven't picked your area yet? Start with the Destination Finder.

Try “Secrets Royal Beach,” “Casa de Campo,” or “Las Terrenas.”

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Search a resort to rank every airport by road time.

Area matrix recomputed 22 August 2026 · Place search and map data © Google.

The four ways to leave a Dominican airport, compared

What happensAirport taxiShared shuttleTransekur private transferTransekur private + VIP Fast Track
Who meets you on arrivalNobody is assigned to you — you join the rank yourself.An operator representative, once you reach their desk or bay.Your named chauffeur, waiting with your name displayed.A uniformed airport escort assigned to your flight, then your named chauffeur at the door.
Where you meet themAt the taxi rank outside the terminal.At the operator's desk or a shuttle bay. Varies by operator.At the exact meeting point sent to you before you travel.Inside the terminal, before the immigration queue.
Immigration and customsYou clear the standard queues on your own.You clear the standard queues on your own.You clear the standard queues on your own; your chauffeur waits on the other side.Your escort walks you through the priority immigration lane and stays with your party.
Waiting time after landingDepends on the queue at the rank when you walk out. Varies by operator.The vehicle leaves when it is full or at a fixed departure time. Varies by operator.The vehicle is already there; you leave when your party is ready.Same, with the immigration step handled first rather than queued.
Flight delay handlingNobody is tracking your flight.A missed departure usually means the next scheduled one. Varies by operator.We monitor your inbound flight and move the pickup to the actual landing time.Same monitoring; the escort is assigned to the flight, not to a clock.
Vehicle type and who else rides in itWhichever vehicle is next in the rank; your party only.A van or coach shared with travellers from other flights.The class you reserved, exclusively yours — no shared rides.The same exclusive vehicle; Fast Track changes the terminal, not the car.
Luggage and child seatsCapacity is whatever that vehicle has; child seats varies by operator.Luggage limits and child seats varies by operator.Vehicle matched to your luggage count; child seats requested when you book.Same, with the escort alongside you through baggage claim.
Stops on the wayDirect unless you ask for a stop.Other hotels are served before yours. Varies by operator.Direct to your address; extra stops are arranged when you book.Direct to your address.
How you pay and whenWith the driver on arrival, metered or agreed at the rank. Varies by operator.At the desk or in advance through a reseller. Varies by operator.One fixed quote confirmed and paid online before you travel.Added to the same reservation and paid with it — nothing settled at the airport.

Taxi and shuttle details are general and vary by operator; the Transekur columns describe our own published service.

How the airport comparison works

It compares the fastest road route from every Dominican airport to the exact place you select, then ranks them closest first. Times are planning figures calculated without live traffic.

We search the exact place you select in the Dominican Republic and compare the fastest road route from each airport using Google Routes. Times are calculated without live traffic, so they are planning figures rather than guaranteed pickup-day ETAs. The first result is the closest airport by road; your best practical flight may differ if that airport has limited service from your departure city.

The closest airport may not have the easiest flight

Road time answers one part of the decision. Flight availability answers the other.

Road time answers one part of the decision. Direct routes, travel dates, connection time and fare can make a larger airport the more practical gateway. Use the finder to see the ground transfer clearly, then compare the flights available from your own departure airport before you book.

Flying between airports once you are in the country? Pack Lightly's Essential Guide to Domestic Flights in the Dominican Republic covers the routes and carriers flying between Dominican airports.

A chauffeur lifting a suitcase into a white SUV at a terminal pickup area
Illustrative photograph. Whichever airport wins, the pickup is the same: a named chauffeur at the curb, flight tracked.

Closest airport by road, area by area

Thirty destination areas and the airport that wins on road time for each, from the same Google Routes matrix the page is built on. Resorts differ inside an area — for an exact answer, search your exact resort.

Punta Cana and the east coast

  • Punta Cana / Cap CanaPUJ14 minnext LRM +41 minguide
  • Bávaro / MacaoPUJ41 minnext LRM +39 minguide
  • Bávaro / VerónPUJ14 minnext LRM +39 minguide
  • Uvero AltoPUJ47 minnext LRM +35 minguide
  • MichesPUJ1 h 25 minnext LRM +34 minguide
  • HigüeyLRM44 minnext PUJ +7 min

La Romana and Bayahibe

  • La Romana / Casa de CampoLRM16 minnext PUJ +45 minguide
  • BayahibeLRM11 minnext PUJ +35 min
  • Playa Nueva RomanaLRM22 minnext SDQ +33 min
  • La Romana (town)LRM22 minnext PUJ +45 min

Santo Domingo and the southeast coast

  • Santo Domingo (city centre)SDQ39 minnext LRM +58 min
  • Santo Domingo EsteSDQ31 minnext LRM +53 min
  • Santo Domingo NorteSDQ53 minnext LRM +58 min
  • Santo Domingo OesteSDQ59 minnext LRM +58 min
  • Boca ChicaSDQ34 minnext LRM +25 min
  • Juan DolioSDQ33 minnext LRM +17 min
  • San Pedro de MacorísLRM38 minnext SDQ +11 min

Samaná Peninsula

  • Las TerrenasAZS1 h 5 minnext SDQ +1 h 22 minguide
  • Samaná / SánchezAZS54 minnext SDQ +1 h 22 minguide
  • Las GalerasAZS1 h 55 minnext SDQ +1 h 21 minguide
  • El Limón, SamanáAZS1 h 16 minnext SDQ +1 h 22 min
  • El Valle, SamanáAZS1 h 35 minnext SDQ +1 h 22 min

Puerto Plata and the north coast

  • Puerto Plata CityPOP29 minnext STI +1 h 13 minguide
  • SosúaPOP31 minnext STI +1 h 36 minguide
  • Cabrera / Río San JuanAZS1 h 43 minnext POP +20 min
  • LuperónPOP1 h 20 minnext STI +26 min
  • Punta RuciaSTI2 h 20 minnext POP +5 min
  • MontecristiSTI2 h 44 minnext POP +28 min

Santiago and the Cibao

  • SantiagoSTI33 minnext POP +59 minguide

The southwest

  • Cabo Rojo / PedernalesBRX2 h 47 minnext SDQ +2 h 58 min

Driving times and distances are calculated with the Google Routes API for the fastest road route, without live traffic.

Where the Dominican Republic’s airports actually are

The country is mountainous down the middle, so two airports that look close on a map can sit on opposite sides of a range with the road running the long way around. Each code below links to the transfer page for that airport.

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Transekur illustration. Dominican Republic land outline: geoBoundaries gbOpen DOM ADM0 (CC BY 4.0). Haiti outline: Natural Earth.
Dominican Republic international airports, the city each serves, and the areas each one reaches fastest by road
CodeAirportCityClosest by road to
PUJPunta Cana International AirportPunta CanaPunta Cana / Cap Cana, Bávaro / Verón, Bávaro / Macao, Uvero Alto, Miches
SDQLas Américas International AirportSanto DomingoSanto Domingo Este, Juan Dolio, Boca Chica, Santo Domingo (city centre), Santo Domingo Norte, Santo Domingo Oeste
STICibao International AirportSantiagoSantiago, Punta Rucia, Montecristi
POPGregorio Luperón International AirportPuerto PlataPuerto Plata City, Sosúa, Luperón
LRMLa Romana International AirportLa RomanaBayahibe, La Romana / Casa de Campo, La Romana (town), Playa Nueva Romana, San Pedro de Macorís, Higüey
AZSSamaná El Catey International AirportSamanáSamaná / Sánchez, Las Terrenas, El Limón, Samaná, El Valle, Samaná, Cabrera / Río San Juan, Las Galeras
BRXMaría Montez International AirportBarahonaCabo Rojo / Pedernales

The eight airports, one by one

Busiest to quietest in 2025, by passengers: Punta Cana (PUJ) 11.0 million, Santo Domingo Las Américas (SDQ) 5.2 million, Santiago Cibao (STI) 2.2 million, Puerto Plata (POP) 797,000, La Romana (LRM) 243,000, Samaná El Catey (AZS) 93,000 and La Isabela (JBQ) 41,000 — 19.6 million in all (ONE, Anuario de Estadísticas Económicas 2025).

Where each airport sits, which areas it reaches fastest by road, and what the current airline data does and does not support. La Isabela handles private and charter flights, so it isn't in the road-time finder. Flight service at the smaller airports can be limited or seasonal.

Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ)

Punta Cana

The main gateway for the east-coast resorts and the busiest arrivals hall in the country. If you are staying anywhere from Cap Cana to Uvero Alto, this is almost always the right choice.

Closest by road to

  • Bávaro / Verón · 14 min
  • Punta Cana / Cap Cana · 14 min
  • Bávaro / Macao · 41 min
  • Uvero Alto · 47 min
  • Miches · 1 h 25 min

Airlines with service at PUJ

Arajet · American Airlines · JetBlue Airways · Copa · United Airlines · Delta Air Lines · LATAM · Air Canada · Air Transat · Avianca · Southwest Airlines · Frontier Airlines · Copa Colombia · WestJet · Aeromexico · Condor · JetSMART · Sky Airline · Air Europa · Aerolineas Argentinas · Sun Country · Sunrise · British · Breeze · Gol · Sky High Aviation · Edelweiss Air · Air Caraibes · Evelop · TUI Nederland (Netherlands) · Flight Alaska · Air France · Flair · Neos · Orbest S.A. · Allegiant Air · Euro

Airline data updated October 22, 2026

Las Américas International Airport (SDQ)

Santo Domingo

The capital's airport, on the south coast. Best for Santo Domingo itself, Juan Dolio and Boca Chica, and often the cheapest way into the country.

Closest by road to

  • Santo Domingo Este · 31 min
  • Juan Dolio · 33 min
  • Boca Chica · 34 min
  • Santo Domingo (city centre) · 39 min
  • Santo Domingo Norte · 53 min
  • Santo Domingo Oeste · 59 min

Airlines with service at SDQ

JetBlue Airways · Arajet · American · Copa · Delta Air Lines · United · Sky High Aviation · interCaribbean · Avianca · Iberia · Air Europa · Aeromexico · Frontier Airlines · Euro · LASER · Copa Colombia · Condor · Air Caraibes · Sunrise · LATAM Ecuador · ITA · Air Canada

Airline data updated October 22, 2026

Cibao International Airport (STI)

Santiago

Inland, in the Cibao valley. Mostly serves Santiago and the interior rather than the beach resorts.

Closest by road to

  • Santiago · 33 min
  • Punta Rucia · 2 h 20 min
  • Montecristi · 2 h 44 min

Airlines with service at STI

JetBlue · United · Delta Air Lines · American · Caicos Express · interCaribbean · Copa · Air Europa · Frontier · Sunrise

Airline data updated October 22, 2026

Gregorio Luperón International Airport (POP)

Puerto Plata

The north-coast gateway, for Puerto Plata, Sosua and Cabarete.

Closest by road to

  • Puerto Plata City · 29 min
  • Sosúa · 31 min
  • Luperón · 1 h 20 min

Airlines with service at POP

American · Air Transat · JetBlue · Copa · Condor · WestJet · United · Delta Air Lines · Air Canada · Copa Colombia

Airline data updated October 22, 2026

La Romana International Airport (LRM)

La Romana

Small, calm and minutes from Casa de Campo and Bayahibe. Arrivals here take a fraction of the time they do at Punta Cana.

Closest by road to

  • Bayahibe · 11 min
  • La Romana / Casa de Campo · 16 min
  • La Romana (town) · 22 min
  • Playa Nueva Romana · 22 min
  • San Pedro de Macorís · 38 min
  • Higüey · 44 min

Flight service can be limited or seasonal. Check your travel dates directly with the airline.

Samaná El Catey International Airport (AZS)

Samaná

The Samana peninsula airport, and by far the closest way into Las Terrenas and Las Galeras.

Closest by road to

  • Samaná / Sánchez · 54 min
  • Las Terrenas · 1 h 5 min
  • El Limón, Samaná · 1 h 16 min
  • El Valle, Samaná · 1 h 35 min
  • Cabrera / Río San Juan · 1 h 43 min
  • Las Galeras · 1 h 55 min

Flight service can be limited or seasonal. Check your travel dates directly with the airline.

María Montez International Airport (BRX)

Barahona

Deep in the south-west, near Barahona. Limited service, mainly domestic and regional.

Closest by road to

  • Cabo Rojo / Pedernales · 2 h 47 min

Flight service can be limited or seasonal. Check your travel dates directly with the airline.

La Isabela (JBQ)

Santo Domingo (north of the city)

The capital's executive aviation airport. It handles private and charter flights through dedicated general-aviation facilities, so it is not part of the road-time finder; ground transport is arranged around the executive terminal rather than a main arrivals hall.

Private and charter arrivals only — not part of the road-time comparison above.

Passenger figures: Oficina Nacional de Estadística (ONE), Anuario de Estadísticas Económicas 2025, as reported by Diario Libre, 25 September 2026. Oviedo airport: IDAC director Igor Rodríguez Durán, reported by Punta Cana Post, 22 September 2026.

Which airport belongs to which region

The finder ranks the seven commercial gateways by road time to the exact place you select. As a rule of thumb, each resort region has one airport at the head of its road network and one wide-route fallback.

  • Cap Cana, Bávaro, Uvero Alto, Macao and Miches — PUJ.
  • Santo Domingo, the Colonial Zone and the south coast — SDQ.
  • Casa de Campo and Bayahíbe — LRM, with SDQ as the wide-route fallback.
  • Las Terrenas, Santa Bárbara de Samaná and Las Galeras — AZS when a flight fits, otherwise SDQ.
  • Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete — POP, with STI as the broader-connectivity alternative.
  • Santiago, Jarabacoa and the Cibao valley — STI.
  • Barahona and the southwest — BRX or SDQ.

Terminal size shapes the arrival as much as the road does. PUJ's open-air terminals are built for tourism volume and its arrivals land in concentrated flight banks, so the ground leg is the part travellers most often leave to chance. SDQ mixes business, diaspora and leisure traffic across the day, which spreads its arrivals more evenly. STI and POP run smaller terminals where formalities are quicker but the onward drive is more likely to cross mountain road.

When Punta Cana fares spike, Santo Domingo is a realistic alternative for the Cap Cana resorts. The drive is set out on Santo Domingo airport to Hyatt Ziva & Zilara Cap Cana, Santo Domingo airport to Sanctuary Cap Cana and Santo Domingo airport to Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa, and on Santo Domingo airport to The St. Regis Cap Cana and Santo Domingo airport to TRS Cap Cana Waterfront & Marina Hotel.

What's coming: a ninth airport at Oviedo in 2027

The civil aviation authority (IDAC) says the country's ninth international airport, at Oviedo in Pedernales province, is due to enter service in 2027, with the terminal's equipment now being acquired and installed. It would give the far southwest — Bahía de las Águilas, Cabo Rojo and the Pedernales coast — its own gateway; until then the area is reached by road. Our guide to getting to Bahía de las Águilas explains the options today and what the new airport could change.

Arrival and departure planning

Arriving

Immigration, baggage and the walk to the meeting point come before the road time shown here, and large resorts can have more than one entrance. Book the transfer with the exact property selected so the driver is sent to the right gate, and treat the drive time as a planning figure, not a promise.

Departing

Work backwards from your airline's check-in cut-off: add the road time from your resort to the airport you are flying from, then a margin for traffic, weather and a stop. The finder's departure option carries the resort as pickup and the airport as drop-off so nothing has to be typed twice.

Frequently asked questions

How many international airports does the Dominican Republic have?
Eight: Punta Cana (PUJ), Santo Domingo Las Américas (SDQ), Santiago Cibao (STI), Puerto Plata Gregorio Luperón (POP), La Romana (LRM), Samaná El Catey (AZS), La Isabela in Santo Domingo (JBQ) and Barahona María Montez (BRX). A ninth, at Oviedo in Pedernales, is due to open in 2027 according to the civil aviation authority (IDAC). The road-time finder on this page compares seven of them; La Isabela handles private and charter flights, so it isn't in the finder.
How many airports are there in Santo Domingo?
Two. Las Américas (SDQ) is the capital's main international airport and the gateway for the city, the Colonial Zone and the south coast. La Isabela (JBQ), in the north of the city, is the executive airport for private and charter flights.
How many airports does Punta Cana have?
One: Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), the busiest in the country with 11.0 million passengers in 2025 (ONE). It serves Punta Cana, Bávaro, Cap Cana, Uvero Alto and Miches; La Romana (LRM) and Santo Domingo (SDQ) are the alternatives when a flight fits better.
What is the main airport in the Dominican Republic?
Punta Cana (PUJ): 11.0 million passengers in 2025, 56.1% of the country's air passengers (ONE, Anuario de Estadísticas Económicas 2025). Santo Domingo Las Américas (SDQ) is second with 5.2 million and is the main gateway for the capital and the south coast.
Which airport should I use for Punta Cana resorts?
PUJ is usually the closest airport by road for Punta Cana, Bávaro, Cap Cana, Macao, and Uvero Alto, but search the exact property because resort marketing names can cover different parts of the coast.
Is La Romana Airport (LRM) the closest to Casa de Campo?
LRM is the closest airport to Casa de Campo by road. Casa de Campo’s official arrival guide describes La Romana International Airport as about five minutes from resort check-in. Flight availability may be more limited than at PUJ or SDQ.
Which airport is closest to Las Terrenas?
AZS is generally the closest airport by road to Las Terrenas. However, AZS can have a thinner or seasonal flight schedule, so many travelers also compare SDQ before deciding.
Are these drive times live?
No. They are calculated with Google Routes for the fastest road route without live traffic. Weather, traffic, road work, stops, and the exact entrance of a large resort can change the trip on travel day.
Can I search a villa or private address?
Yes, if Google Places returns it as a selectable Dominican Republic result. Choose the exact matching suggestion before calculating the airport comparison.
Can the closest airport still be the wrong flight choice?
Yes. A smaller airport may be closest by road but have no suitable direct flight for your origin and date. Compare the flight itinerary and the road transfer together.
Can I book a transfer from the result?
Yes. The booking buttons carry the selected airport and the exact place into Transekur’s booking flow, so you do not have to enter the resort again.
Which airport is best for private jet charters to Santo Domingo?
La Isabela (JBQ) in northern Santo Domingo is the capital's executive aviation gateway, with dedicated general-aviation handling and quick access to the city. It is not part of the road-time comparison on this page.

Know the drive. Book the arrival.

Reserve a private vehicle for your party, with the selected airport and resort carried into the booking flow. Add available airport services during booking.

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