DALLAS — Dominican Republic ultra-low-cost carrier Arajet (DM) has announced a new route from its hub in Santo Domingo's Las Américas International (SDQ) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE). This is the first time there will be a nonstop flight between the two cities. The news comes as Arajet obtained approval from the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) to start flights to Argentina.

Starting on November 14th, Arajet will begin flights between both capitals. Arajet will operate the flights three times a week, with frequencies on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from Santo Domingo, with a return flight the next day. Flight DM333 will depart Santo Domingo at 5:55 p.m. and arrive in Buenos Aires the following day at 3:05 a.m. The return leg flight, DM 334, will depart Buenos Aires at 4:25 AM and arrive in Santo Domingo at 11:40 AM. The new flight will allow passengers to connect to other destinations Arajet serves in Santo Domingo, thus opening a unique bridge between Argentina, the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico.

Over the past few weeks, Arajet has announced five new routes from Santo Domingo. After the Chief Executive Officer of Arajet, Victor Pacheco Mendez, hinted about the new route last week, it was thought the airline would finally announce a flight to the United States. However, Arajet received approval from the ANAC to start service to Buenos Aires.

Once Arajet starts service to Buenos Aires, its route network will span 20 destinations across 15 countries in North and South America, and in September, the airline will turn one year old. In Arajet's first year, it created a low-cost hub in Santo Domingo, following in the footsteps of other successful companies such as Icelandair (Reykjavk-Keflavk Airport) and Copa Airlines (Panama Tocumen International Airport).

In addition to serving the strong tourism market in the Dominican Republic, Arajet uses Santo Domingo as a hub, connecting cities such as Toronto and Montreal in North America with cities such as Santiago and São Paulo in South America.

Arajet CEO and founder commented, "Now Argentines will be connected with the Caribbean better than ever; with Arajet, we will have a direct flight between our two capital cities for the first time, so they can not only enjoy the first city in America, Punta Cana, but also Bayahibe, La Romana, Puerto Plata, Santiago, and connect with other countries through our hub."

"Arajet continues to expand throughout the region, so we can affirm that Dominicans and Argentines have an airline that connects them with North, Central, and South America at the best price on the market, with safety and comfort."

Open Market

With the new route, the Caribbean and Argentina are better connected. Argentina's flag carrier, Aerolíneas Argentinas, currently operates the only scheduled passenger service between Argentina and the Dominican Republic. They operate a three-weekly service between Punta Cana and Buenos Aires using an Airbus A330-200. According to ANAC data, 78,922 passengers flew on the route in 2022. 

Santo Domingo and Buenos Aires are 3,734 miles apart, making Arajet's new service the second longest flight operated by a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. It will be behind GOL's route between Brasilia and Orlando, which is 3,778 miles. 

Arajet operates a fleet of five Boeing 737-8 aircraft and will receive five additional 737-8 aircraft in the second half of this year. This will allow the airline to expand its presence across the Americas. In August 2023, Arajet operated 104 flights each week.

Featured image: Boeing