The company promotes environmental care, tourism promotion and encourages children to study.
In the area of social responsibility and contribution to the community, the Arajet airline has a clear north, and part of the work it does is focused on children, an important segment of the population.
Based on this, it has initiated a program called “Pilot for a Day”, which consists of taking children from public and private schools to learn everything related to airport and aviation activities.
Otto González, Arajet’s Chief of Staff, who accompanied the company’s president, Víctor Pacheco Méndez, to the special interview with elCaribe-CDN, explained that the children are taken, for example, to the airport ramps, the terminal, the control tower and other areas and are taken on board and shown an airplane.
Once inside the aircraft, a crew of Dominicans explains to them all the security issues and offers them catering (catering service for groups, especially for passengers and crew members of an aircraft or for groups of people working in the same place).
A pilot, the aircraft’s first officer, says a few words, in a way that is as close as possible to the experience of a flight. “The officer tells the students that he was a student at a certain time, until he became a pilot; that they can become pilots too. It’s a way to motivate them. Each child is given a certificate,” Gonzalez explained.
In addition to all this, the Arajet official explained, the children are shown the entire aircraft maintenance building and the area where all the technicians and specialists in this field are located.
To date, the airline’s program has reached some 350 children. It is expected to exceed 400 this year.
“The most beautiful thing is that we generate an effect on the children and even more that our personnel feel very identified with the program,” said Otto González. Arajet is now in its sixth edition.
The staff that runs it is volunteers. What was explained by Víctor Pacheco Méndez, Arajet’s leader, as well as by the Chief of Staff, and by Manuel Luna, external vice-president of Communications, present in the interview, indicates that the Pilot for a Day program generates in children the illusion of being an aviator or a professional in any part of aviation.
Although in the conversation elCaribe did not go into detail with the guests on what exactly are those areas of study in aviation, some of the main ones are: pilot, aerospace engineering, air traffic controllers, airport management, airline management, aircraft maintenance (some call it aircraft mechanic), and aviation safety.
It puts a national stamp on it
At Arajet, each of the aircraft in the fleet is named after a protected area in the Dominican Republic, with the aim of raising awareness and promoting the importance of its preservation and at the same time boosting the country’s domestic tourism and promoting it internationally, explains Víctor Pacheco Méndez.
Some of the names of the aircraft are: Pico Pico Duarte, Valle Nuevo, Los Tres Ojos, Jaragua and Ojos Indígenas. The company will acquire more aircraft, which will also bear the names of national parks and protected areas.
Otto González told Multimedios del Caribe, more or less, how the placement process works.
He said that Víctor – referring to Arajet’s president – gathers the company’s personnel and a vote is taken, based on the existing names.
“The important thing is to create awareness through these names, to continue conserving and protecting our natural wealth, because the main asset, after the people, is the environment”, said, on the other hand, the external vice-president of Communications Manuel Luna, who reinforced each of the approaches.
Social responsibility within a company refers to the commitment assumed by the organization to act ethically and contribute to the sustainable development of society in general. And Arajet knows this.
It is the responsibility that goes beyond the mere obtaining of economic benefits and considers the impact of the company’s actions on social, environmental and ethical aspects.
Corporate social responsibility means that the company must consider not only its shareholders and employees, but also its customers, suppliers, local communities and the environment.
Follow ICAO guidelines
In aviation matters, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is a specialized agency of the United Nations, is responsible for promoting the safety, efficiency and regularity of international civil aviation. Arajet adheres to the guidelines of this institution, which is a sort of umbrella in the subject, and therefore has the highest levels of compliance, highlighted Víctor Pacheco Méndez.
The aviation sector is very cohesive
The president of Arajet was asked about the level of collaboration that exists between the Government’s aviation sector (the governing institutions), and his answer is that it is quite cohesive. He is referring, in this case, to the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), the Airport Department (DA), the Specialized Airport and Civil Aviation Security Corps (Cesac) and of course the Ministry of Tourism, which is a vital piece in the “equation”.
“What I feel is that they get along very well,” highlighted Pacheco Méndez, in reference to the aforementioned Dominican State agencies.
“And Arajet’s relationship with the authorities has been formidable,” added Manuel Luna, complementing what he said.
Source: Elcaribe.com
