# IDAC to train aeronautical staff in Barahona for Cabo Rojo airport

Canonical-URL: https://turismo.news/en/digest/idac-aeronautical-training-barahona-cabo-rojo
Text-Version: https://turismo.news/en/digest/idac-aeronautical-training-barahona-cabo-rojo.txt
Markdown-Version: https://turismo.news/en/digest/idac-aeronautical-training-barahona-cabo-rojo.md
Language: en
Published: 2026-11-12T12:16:21.252Z
Modified: 2026-11-12T12:16:21.252Z
Author: Joan Sanz
Topics: Airlines
Summary: IDAC and ASCA sign agreements with UASD Barahona and Ucateba to train young people from the south to serve at the Cabo Rojo International Airport in Pedernales.

## Article

The **Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC)** and the **Superior Academy of Aeronautical Sciences (ASCA)** signed two inter-institutional cooperation agreements with the **UASD Barahona campus** and the **Catholic Technological University of Barahona (Ucateba)** to train the aeronautical staff that will serve at the **Cabo Rojo International Airport** in Pedernales. The agreements were signed by IDAC director general **Igor Rodríguez**, Ucateba rector **Marco Antonio Pérez Pérez**, campus director **Ana Lucía Beltré** and ASCA director **Clara Fernández**. The news was first reported by [Arecoa](https://www.arecoa.com/destinos/2026/11/11/entidades-acuerdan-formar-personal-aeronautico-en-barahona-para-brindar-servicios-en-el-aeropuerto-de-cabo-rojo/).

The scope of the deal is best measured in jobs and roots. IDAC will contribute its academic offering, higher technical programs, specialized instructors and training equipment under the standards of **Law 491-06 on Civil Aviation** and its amendment by **Law 67-13**. The universities will provide their facilities in Barahona, including virtual and smart classrooms. On top of that, IDAC will prioritize students and graduates from both institutions in recruitment for the new terminal. In other words, the training does not end with a certificate on the wall: there is a promise of preferential hiring at the airport itself.

The bigger picture is clear. Cabo Rojo is not just a cruise pier. In September we reported that the destination [is targeting 250,000 cruise passengers by the end of 2026](/digest/cabo-rojo-250000-cruceristas-2026), and in November it already saw [5,771 cruise passengers in a single day with two ships](/digest/cabo-rojo-cruceristas-pedernales). The airport needs a tower, handling, operational security, flight dispatch and passenger service. That staff cannot be improvised. Training them in Barahona, a few kilometers from Pedernales, is the logical move so the south does not export talent to Santo Domingo or Punta Cana.

There is a precedent that reinforces the idea: in October it was announced that [Infotep was opening Barahona's training door to young people from Pedernales](/digest/infotep-formacion-turistica-pedernales-barahona). The difference is that program focused on general tourism employment. This one targets aviation, a niche with higher wages and a technical barrier to entry that protects those who train. Barahona's universities gain a partner with equipment and instructors they could not afford on their own. IDAC gains a pipeline of replacements near its new terminal. Young people from the south gain a career without having to migrate. And the province gains tax revenue and payroll contributions that do not exist today.

What to watch is on the calendar. How many students enter the first cohort? Are there concrete start dates for the higher technical programs? Does the priority recruitment for Cabo Rojo come with a number of places or is it a statement of intent? The signature is done. The next data point that matters is how many people sit in those virtual classrooms and how many end up with a contract at the terminal. That is when we will know whether the agreement was a ceremonial act or the real start of the south's human capital.

## Sources

- Arecoa: https://www.arecoa.com/destinos/2026/11/11/entidades-acuerdan-formar-personal-aeronautico-en-barahona-para-brindar-servicios-en-el-aeropuerto-de-cabo-rojo/

## Citation

IDAC to train aeronautical staff in Barahona for Cabo Rojo airport. Turismo News. 2026-11-12. https://turismo.news/en/digest/idac-aeronautical-training-barahona-cabo-rojo