Arajet will start operations in May from Las Americas International Airport (AILA), with flights to Costa Rica, Colombia, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, with the plane christened Pico Duarte and from June onwards more aircraft will be incorporated and new destinations will be opened in the continent and it is expected that by the second half of the year flights to the United States will start.
This was stated by its directors at the launching of the new Dominican airline in a ceremony at the AILA headed by the president, Luis Abinader, where the president waved the Dominican flag from the plane and symbolically received the first air ticket of the airline.
The president affirmed that Arajet will be able to count on the support of the Dominican government since through the new national airline, new markets will be encouraged and the arrival of tourists to the country will be multiplied, as well as the importance that Dominicans living abroad can come to see their relatives at low fares.
In this sense, Víctor Pacheco Méndez, president of the board of directors of Arajet, thanked the President and other authorities for their support. “Without this support it would be impossible to materialize the dream of having a national airline in the Dominican Republic that connects the Dominican diaspora with the country with flights at low prices”.
The airline will generate in the next 5 years more than 4 thousand jobs directly and 40 thousand indirectly and expects to transport some 7 million passengers per year, with a total of 43 air routes of which 24 new routes that are not currently served in the market are projected.
To meet this goal, Arajet and the Boeing Company announced that the new airline has ordered 20 737 MAX aircraft, specifically the high-capacity 737-8-200 model, to expand affordable travel options in the Americas. Likewise, the airline has options to purchase an additional 15 737 MAX jets that, along with existing lease agreements, could bring the airline’s new fuel-efficient fleet to 40 aircraft.
“Being allied with Boeing and hand in hand with investors like Griffin and Bain Capital, gives us the guarantee of operational success we need to be able to provide Dominicans with affordable flights connecting the country to major destinations in the Americas,” said Pacheco Méndez.
Meanwhile, Landon Loomis, vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean for The Boeing Company, said, “The 737 MAX is a perfect fit for Arajet and it is an honor to welcome this exciting new operator to the Boeing family.”
“Flying a dedicated fleet of 737 MAXs will allow Arajet to save on fuel, maintenance and operations costs, and pass those savings on to its customers,” he added.
Tourism Minister David Collado highlighted the extraordinary impact that Arajet will have on the country’s tourism industry.
