Arajet is planning to establish New York and Miami as the first destinations to which it would fly to the United States, once the American authorities grant authorization to begin operating in its territory.
Victor Pacheco MendezCEO and founder of the airline, said that the two cities, located in two of the three main states of the country with the largest number of Dominicans, are “most likely” the inaugural routes to connect the Dominican Republic and the United States.
“Since the launch of Arajet, our main objective has been to connect the diaspora with the Dominican Republic,” he said.
To achieve this goal, the businessman said that they began the process to start operations in the United States last year, and are currently awaiting a response from the authorities.
He also said that they have focused on expanding their fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft to increase the number of available seats, as well as training their staff to offer “quality service,” according to Diario Libre.
The airline referred to the case amid reactions to the announcement by the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) regarding the closing of negotiations to establish an open skies agreement between the United States and the Dominican Republic, which is awaiting review by the Dominican Congress, ratification, and signature by President Luis Abinader to enter into force.
In a statement, Pacheco welcomed the progress in establishing the agreement between the two governments and indicated that it “is a great step for commercial aviation in the Dominican Republic,” noting the expansion of connections with the United States, which he highlighted as the “country’s main trading partner and main source of tourists.”
For the businessman, the signing of the proposed agreement also means “a step forward for the aeronautical industry and a major contribution to the growth of passenger traffic between the two countries.”
He explained that, for Arajet, the agreement “opens the doors to a more competitive market to directly connect Santo Domingo with any city in the United States and expand our network of connections to and from North America,” which he considers necessary to turn the country into “the new air hub of the continent.”
“This agreement is vital for Arajet because we want to fly to many destinations in the United States that we can only access with an Open Skies agreement,” he concluded.
