Arajet, the Dominican Republic’s first low cost carrier, made two inaugural flights this September 27 and 28: Saint Marteen (SXM) in the Netherlands Antilles, and Guatemala City (GUA).
Both destinations are part of the 11 inaugural flights that the company will make during this first month of operations. On September 15, Cali (CLO) and Barranquilla (BAQ) in Colombia were its first two cities.
See also: A new airline in the neighborhood: Arajet made its first commercial flight.
On September 16, it inaugurated its third destination by landing in Aruba (AUA). The following day it added its fourth route by arriving in San Salvador (SAL), El Salvador. On September 18 it had a double inaugural: Cartagena (CTG), its third destination in Colombia, and Lima (LIM), Peru, the longest route in its network, with 4:42 hours of duration.
See also: Arajet inaugurated four new destinations in two days
On September 22, it began operations between Santo Domingo (SDQ) and Mexico City (NLU) with three weekly flights. The Dominican airline becomes the second foreign operator to offer flights to Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA).
St. Maarten and Guatemala: 8th and 9th destinations for Arajet
On Tuesday, September 27th, St. Maarten followed, which will have 2 weekly flights (Wednesdays and Saturdays). It is the route with the most competition for the low cost, since it is a popular destination served by Sky High Aviation (4 weekly flights) and Air Century (3 weekly flights) in ERJ 145, Embraer 190 and CRJ 200 aircraft.
The low cost carrier will operate Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with a capacity of 189 passengers, providing 756 seats per week.
«The Dominican Republic and St. Maarten share a long history of trade relations. The family ties that bind us have favored both countries for many years. The Dominican Republic has many travel enthusiasts whose visit will further enhance our economic model as we continue to grow.» Said Acting Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT), Omar Ottley.
On September 28, it added its second destination in Central America by landing in Guatemala City (GUA) with 178 passengers on board, Guatemalan authorities ratify the new route as a historic event. Initially, it will have two weekly flights (Wednesdays and Sundays), but starting in November it will add two additional flights per week (Tuesdays and Fridays), providing 1,512 seats per week.
Upcoming destinations
Arajet will continue to expand operations later this month with the addition of routes to Monterrey (MTY) and Cancun (CUN) in Mexico.
«We are excited to begin operations and provide Dominicans and all our guests with low fares, a world-class customer experience and a growing new network to and from Santo Domingo to major cities in the Americas,» said Arajet CEO Victor Pacheco.
In October, Curaçao (CUR) and San José (SJO) in Costa Rica will be added. In November, Quito (UIO) and Guayaquil (GYE) in Ecuador, and Kingston (KIN), Jamaica, will be added. The start dates for Medellin (MDE) and Bogota (BOG) in Colombia, as well as Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL), Canada, are still to be announced.
Over the next 5 years, the low cost carrier expects to transport more than 7 million passengers, generating more than 4,000 direct jobs and close to 40,000 indirect jobs in the region.
Arajet has already received 5 of 8 direct leases for new 189-passenger Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. They also have a direct order for 20 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with options for an additional 15 aircraft to be delivered over the next five years.
The company will continue to add new destinations in 2023 as they add aircraft, including flights to the United States, Panama, Brazil, Martinique, Guadeloupe and others.
Frequencies in the inaugurated destinations
All destinations will be operated from its hub in Santo Domingo/Las Américas (SDQ) with the following frequencies:
- Aruba (AUA); two weekly flights (Monday and Friday).
- Barranquilla (BAQ); three weekly flights (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays).
- Cali (CLO); three weekly flights (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays).
- Cartagena (CTG); two weekly flights (Wednesdays and Sundays).
- Mexico City (NLU); three weekly flights (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays); from November (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays).
- Guatemala (GUA); two weekly flights (Wednesdays and Sundays), starting in November, with 4 flights per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).
- San Salvador (SAL), El Salvador; two flights per week (Wednesdays and Saturdays); starting in November, with 4 flights per week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays).
- Lima (LIM), Peru; two flights per week (Wednesday and Sunday).
- St. Maarten; two weekly flights (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
