Dominicana de Aviacion/ Aeropostal

Aeropostal says all is fine
Jose Manuel Mustafa, director of Aeropostal, has denied reports that the company has not been meeting its contractual obligations. Aeropostal is the company whose affiliate won the privatisation bid for Dominicana Airlines, the state airline.
He told the Listin Diario that the company is in the process of making the US$1 million deposit required to secure the contract. He denied delays in the fulfilment of terms of the contract and said the company has already started to recruit personnel to start its flight operations.
Meanwhile, tourism advisor to the Executive Branch Enrique de Marchena and former secretary of Foreign Relations Victor Gomez Berges told the newspaper that they think the contract should be nullified for breach of contract. De Marchena argues that Aeropostal has to meet the conditions stipulated when the tender was held. “Aeropostal has to meet the terms of reference with which it won the tender,” he said. (20 November 2001)

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Aeropostal late in meeting privatization contract
Listin Diario newspaper reports that the Consorcio Santo Domingo 2001 that won the bid for the privatization of Dominicana Airlines has not fulfilled its contractual obligations. The company is owned by Aeropostal, a Venezuelan airline. According to the front page story, the company has not paid the deposit that is required to close the tender operation. According to Listin, the subcommission in charge of the privatization process suggested that the Commission for the Reform of Public Enterprise nullify the tender or grant a new deadline to receive the deposit.
The granting of Dominicana to Aeropostal was criticized locally on grounds that the company did not have the financial solidity to position Dominicana as a competitive airline. (19 November 2001)