Cablegate: The Skies Are Safe Again: Dominican Government

VZCZCXYZ0013
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #2291 2831916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101916Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9355
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 002291

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ECON PGOV PREL DR
SUBJECT: THE SKIES ARE SAFE AGAIN: DOMINICAN GOVERNMENT
REPAIRS MAIN RADAR

REF: A. A. SANTO DOMINGO 1850
B. B. SANTO DOMINGO 2051

1. The director of the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute
(IDAC) called EconOff on October 8 to inform the Embassy that
it had successfully finished repairs to the country's primary
radar at Las Americas Airport outside of Santo Domingo, which
had been partially inoperable for over a year. To announce
this achievement IDAC held a press conference on October 8
aimed at bostering public confidence in Dominican air safety
standards. Concern about the air safety and financial
ramifications of delays in repairing the radar for U.S. air
carriers had been raised by the Embassy on several ocassions
with IDAC, including in a letter dated August 7, 2007 and in
a courtesy call with the new director of IDAC on August 30
(See reftels). In the courtesy call, the new director, Jose
Tomas Perez, pledged to make repairing the radar his top
priority. While outside opinion (i.e., airport management)
had predicted it might take months for the new director to
get the radar repaired as a result of difficulties with the
contractor employed for the work, the speed with which the
repairs were completed demonstrates that Tomas Perez appears
to be a man of his word. The operations manager for Las
Americas Airport confirmed to EconOff that the radar is
functioning properly, and that while there may be some minor
tweaking still to be done on the system, IDAC appears to have
resolved the problem. Ultimately, however, IDAC is
interested in purchasing new radar arrays to replace the
older French radar technology they have installed.
GOUGHNOUR

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