The Dominican ultra-low-cost carrier Arajet has teased the launch of routes to at least five new South American countries in the short term. On Tuesday, Víctor Pacheco, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Arajet, pointed at new routes ready to be opened in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Uruguay.
New International Routes Coming Up?
Today, Arajet announced at the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE) in Punta Cana that it is looking to convert the Dominican Republic into the low-cost hub of the Caribbean through its operations at Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) in Santo Domingo. To do so, Arajet offered up to 300,000 new seats for this season.
Additionally, Mr. Pacheco added that the airline will soon open new routes to South America, including Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Uruguay. “We are about to open new destinations to bring together tourists from the south of the continent to the Caribbean,” he added.
Last year, Arajet officially requested authorization to fly to three Brazilian destinations, São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), Rio de Janeiro Galeão International (GIG), and Manaus International (MAO). This year, following the cessation of operations of Viva Air in Colombia, Arajet’s management said they would be interested in flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Previously, Viva Air offered short flights to Buenos Aires Ezeiza International (EZE) via stopovers in Bogotá and Medellín.
Bolivia, Chile, and Uruguay have never been hinted as new possible destinations for Arajet. Possible destinations are Santa Cruz’s Viru Viru International Airport (VVI), Montevideo International (MVD), and Santiago de Chile International (SCL).
Beyond these destinations, Arajet has already hinted at flying to three cities in the United States (San Juan, Miami, and New York), as well as more destinations in Central America and the Caribbean (San Pedro Sula, Belize, Bridgetown, Port of Spain, and Georgetown).
Where Does Arajet Fly Now?
With a fleet of five Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, Arajet reaches 17 destinations in 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries. It flies exclusively from Santo Domingo, operating about 96 weekly flights as of May 2023. The company’s most important routes are to San Salvador (six weekly flights), Mexico City (five), and San José, Kingston, and Guatemala, with four weekly flights each.
More importantly, Arajet is already turning Santo Domingo into a true hub, offering seamless connections throughout its map route. Víctor Pacheco explained that the airline offers connections and brings nine of the 11 countries in its network closer through low fares.
“Today an Arajet passenger who is in Mexico City can book a dinner in Medellín and have lunch in the colonial zone of Santo Domingo, generating business and tourism opportunities in our country and contributing to its development,” he added.
Arajet currently connects through two weekly frequencies on Tuesdays and Saturdays Mexico City (NLU), Cancun (CUN), Guatemala City (GUA), and San Salvador (SAL) with Aruba (AUA), Curaçao (CUR), St. Marteen (SXM), Kingston (KIN) and Cartagena (CTG). As the airline increases its fleet size (it is expected to at least double its Boeing 737 MAX fleet this year), one could expect even more connectivity between the airline’s destinations.
Source : Simple Flying
