With a first plane baptized as “Pico Duarte”, the flag carrier airline of the Dominican Republic, Arajet, was launched yesterday in an act headed by President Luis Abinader at Las Américas José Francisco Peña Gómez International Airport.
Waving the Dominican flag from the plane and symbolically receiving the first air ticket from the commercial airline, the head of state opened the airline, which will begin operations next May with trips to Costa Rica, Colombia, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, with low price tickets.
Arajet, the name of the airline, and the Boeing Company announced that the new airline has ordered 20 737 MAX aircraft, specifically the high-capacity 737-8-200 model, to expand affordable travel options in the Americas.
The airline also has options to purchase an additional 15 737 MAX jets which, along with existing lease agreements, could bring the airline’s new fuel-efficient fleet to 40 aircraft in the coming months.
End of high airfares begins
Speaking a few words at the ceremony, the president said that having a low-cost airline with a national flag is changing the future and makes the nation more appealing, which at the same time marks the beginning of the end of high airfares. He said that the Tourism Cabinet has worked tirelessly to identify where the opportunities are and how to accelerate them.
“This time the opportunity knocked on our door, and with enthusiasm we can say that it marks the beginning of the end of high airfares. Without routes or competitive rates we will not be able to compete or meet the expectations of the new tourist”, he stated.
He argued that although it is true that an open skies policy is maintained, it is no less true that there are still many opportunities in terms of competitive prices and, therefore, a large space to increase the potential market and access many countries and areas.
The president of the board of directors of Arajet, Víctor Pacheco Méndez, thanked the support of the Government of President Luis Abinader for having made the operation of this air transport company possible in the country.
While the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, highlighted that to date the Dominican Republic is a world example of the recovery of tourism, and stated that “the Dominican Government is clear that with air connectivity is the growth of tourism.”
Prior to this, the president was in La Caleta, in the municipality of Boca Chica, where he supervised a day of Supérate services that includes the substitution of plastic from the Aliméntate subsidy, the change of identity card for cards and the updating of data for the inclusion of the 300 thousand new participants to the social program.
Inaugurates factory of company La Nacional
President Abinader also inaugurated the mattress and furniture manufacturing area of La Nacional, located on the Mendoza highway, in Villa Faro, East Santo Domingo. During the act, the executive president of the company, Juan José Attias Camacho, affirmed that the openness and proximity of the Government have placed the country on a trajectory of economic recovery of levels never seen before. There he announced an investment plan of more than RD$600 million pesos to take advantage of the market opportunities that arise.
