Caribbean Startup Arajet Receives AOC And Is Ready To Fly
This week, Arajet, the airline startup from the Dominican Republic, received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Dominican Institute (IDAC). This latest achievement authorizes Arajet to begin flying commercially. What’s next for the airline?
Arajet ready to launch
On Monday, Arajet formally received its AOC, which will allow the company to begin operating low-cost flights from its base in the Santo Domingo International Airport (SDQ).
The airline startup will begin operations with a fleet composed of several leased Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Currently, it has received two and expects to have five by the end of the year. Arajet’s current two MAX aircraft have registrations HI1026 and HI1027.
During the AOC delivery, Héctor Porcella, general interim director of IDAC, said,
“From this moment on, Arajet is formally authorized to carry out scheduled and non-scheduled air operations (charter flights), air cargo, and mail. Likewise, this certification empowers this airline to formalize negotiations with any other airline, from anywhere in the world, always under the supervision of the civil aviation authorities involved.”
The airline has not yet announced when it will begin flying, although Arajet’s CEO, Víctor Pacheco, recently said Simple Flying they expect to launch commercial services by the end of July.
What can we expect from Arajet?
Arajet is set to become a low-cost airline operating from the Dominican Republic. The airline’s management knows the Caribbean is poorly connected and has high operational costs.
Nonetheless, once Arajet begins flying, customers can expect economic fares, said Víctor Pacheco in our interview last month.
“They will also receive high-quality service, on-time departures, and efficiency. We are not an ultra-low-cost carrier. We are an ultra-low-price airline because we will focus on providing an excellent onboard service to the customer and treat them as they deserve.”
Víctor Pacheco added that the passengers can expect fares around 30% to 60% cheaper than those currently available in the market.
What about the routes?
Arajet has not yet announced which routes it will launch when it begins commercial service.
Nonetheless, we recently had a glimpse at what their route map could look like. During a meeting with the Mexican touristic authorities, senior members of Arajet showed the airline is looking at 29 potential routes; all served from Santo Domingo.
Among the destinations Arajet could serve, there are at least eight or nine destinations in the United States, including Tampa, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, New York (Newark), and Baltimore.
In Latin America, Arajet is looking at potential services from Mexico to Peru, including Monterrey, Mexico City (flying to the newest airport, the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, NLU), Cancún, Guatemala, San José, Cali, Bogotá, Quito, Guayaquil, Lima, and more.
If we were to guess, Arajet could first launch flights to key destinations such as Florida, Panama, and Colombia. But we will have to wait and see.
The fleet
In March, Boeing and Arajet confirmed that the Dominican startup carrier placed an order for 20 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and the option for 15 additional units.
Arajet expects to receive these new aircraft beginning in 2024. Nonetheless, the airline plans to start operations this year, so it has signed a contract to lease up to 11 MAX aircraft between 2022 and 2023 (five this year, six the next one). Overall, Arajet plans to have around 46 aircraft in the mid-future.
What do you think about Arajet’s plans? Let us know in the comments below.