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| |||||||
| Founded | 2014 (as Dominican Wings) 2021 (as Arajet) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 15 September 2022 | ||||||
| Hubs | Las Américas International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 9 | ||||||
| Destinations | 22 [1] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | ||||||
| Key people | Victor Miguel Pacheco Mendez (Founder) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Arajet S.A. is an ultra low-cost airline and the flag carrier of the Dominican Republic. [2] [3] [4] Operations began on 15 September 2022 with a flight to Barranquilla, Colombia. [5]
In late 2014, Dominican Wings received its air operator's certificate from the Dominican Republic's civil aviation authority and planned to offer charter flights between the Dominican Republic to Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Argentina for and on behalf of tour operators. [6] Its first aircraft, an Airbus A320-200, was delivered on May 3, 2015. [7]
On June 28, 2017, Avion Express announced that it has sold its 65% stake in Dominican Wings to the President of the company, Mr. Victor Pacheco, who took complete control of the airline. [8]
In early 2018, it was announced that the airline had transitioned from charter operations to scheduled ultra low-cost flights. The airline stated it had invested $60 million into its relaunch as an ultra-low-cost carrier. [9]
In September 2021, founder Victor Pacheco Mendez, along with the co-founder Mike Powell, announced it would rebrand the airline to Arajet and would operate as a low-cost carrier offering flights throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. [10] [11] [12]
The Junta de Aviación Civil (JAC) approved the request to amend the Certificate of Economic Authorization (CAE) number 25, issued to Arajet, to include 30 new routes and also authorizes the exploitation of regular and non-scheduled air transport services of passengers and cargo, in international operations, from the Dominican Republic to the United States, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Kingdom of the Netherlands, United Mexican States, Panama, Aruba, French Republic, Guatemala, Republic of Peru, Haiti, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago in November 2021 during its plenary session. [13]
The Instituto Dominicano de Aviacion Civil (IDAC), in collaboration with Dominican carrier Arajet, achieved the certification of two Dominican inspectors at Boeing's facilities to be able to inspect the operations of Boeing-type aircraft in December 2021. Pico Duarte was the company's first aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, named after the Caribbean's highest mountainous elevation and a nature reserves in the Dominican Republic, completed its painting process In February 2022. Registered HI-1026, arrived at Las Américas International Airport on March 3, 2022. [14] [15] [16] [17]
On March 14, 2022, Arajet was officially launched, along with the President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader, who announced that the country was in the process of having a Dominican representative airline with a majority of Dominican capital. In the same event, Boeing announced an order of 20 Boeing 737 MAX 200 (with options for 15 more aircraft in the future) by the airline, becoming the first Caribbean operator of the type. [18] [19]
During the ceremony it was announced that Arajet S.A. is funded by one of the world's largest private multi-asset alternative investment firms, Bain Capital, as well as Griffin Global Asset Management ("Griffin"), a commercial aircraft leasing and alternative asset management company. [20] [21]
As of November 2023 [update] the airline serves the following destinations: [24]
In addition to the stated destinations Arajet has plans to fly to:
Bahamas: Nassau [35] 
Barbados: Bridgetown [36] 
Belize: Belize City [36] 
Bolivia: Santa Cruz de la Sierra [37] 
Brazil: Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador [38] 
Cayman Islands [35] 
Cuba [39] 
Guadeloupe [39] 
Guyana: Georgetown [36] 
Haiti: Port-au-Prince [39] 
Honduras: San Pedro Sula [36] Martinique: Fort-de-France [35] 
Panama: Panama City [39] 
Paraguay: Asunción [37] 
Puerto Rico: San Juan [40] 
Trinidad and Tobago: Port of Spain [36] 
Uruguay: Montevideo [37] 
United States: New York, Miami, Boston, Orlando, Providence [37] In regards to flights to the United States and to Puerto Rico, in March 2023, the airline requested authorization to the US Department of Transportation to start operating scheduled passenger services to San Juan, Miami and New York by fall 2023. [40]
As of February 2024 [update] , the Arajet fleet consists of the following aircraft: [41]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 9 | 1 [42] | 8 | 177 | 185 [43] | To be delivered by 2024. [42] |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 | — | 20 | TBA | Deliveries from 2024. [44] Order with 15 options. [45] | ||
| Total | 9 | 21 | ||||
As Dominican Wings, the company consisted of the following aircraft: [46]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | 2015 | 2017 | Leased from Avion Express |
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