FL Technics has named JetBlue as the launch customer for its new $70 million maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic. The agreement covers base maintenance for JetBlue’s Airbus A320 family aircraft, marking the first such service from FL Technics for the airline.
The hub, developed in partnership with Grupo Puntacana and located in the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone, nears completion with a targeted opening in June, pending FAA audit and certification. It will initially create 300 skilled technical and support jobs, expanding to 2,000 over time.
This facility represents the Dominican Republic’s first independent heavy maintenance hangar, targeting airlines from North, Central, and South America. JetBlue, a long-time Punta Cana operator using 150-seat A320s on its routes, gains a nearby maintenance option that reduces aircraft downtime compared to U.S.-based providers.
Amid rising regional demand for narrowbody maintenance—driven by Latin America’s fleet growth of over 5% annually—the hub addresses supply constraints in the Caribbean. It positions Punta Cana ahead of emerging MRO sites in Mexico and Colombia by leveraging FTZ tax incentives and proximity to high-traffic routes.
For JetBlue, the deal streamlines A320 operations in a key leisure market. Industry-wide, it signals Punta Cana’s strategic pivot to aviation services beyond tourism, bolstering local employment and infrastructure resilience.