Arajet is the flag carrier and the largest airline of the Dominican Republic, based in Santo Domingo. The low-cost carrier began operations in 2022 and has been expanding steadily across North America, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. After the Dominican Republic and the United States finalized an open-skies agreement in December 2024, the airline gained approval to enter the US market.
Earlier this year, in April, it launched its first US flights, and it now serves six American cities from its hubs in Santo Domingo and Punta Cana. The airline is also looking to expand its presence across the United States. According to ch-aviation, the airline currently operates a fleet of 12 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and is awaiting deliveries for 15 additional aircraft.
From Miami To Chicago: Where Arajet Is Flying In The US
Arajet launched its first US route on April 11 with service from Santo Domingo’s Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) to Miami. The airline started with four weekly flights but increased the frequency to daily for the northern summer. It also added Miami–Punta Cana flights in June as demand on the route grew.
Furthermore, after entering Miami, the airline expanded quickly. It introduced service to
Newark Liberty International Airport and launched flights to San Juan, which is the capital of the US territory of Puerto Rico. Most recently, on November 15, Arajet inaugurated service at
Chicago O’Hare International Airport, its fourth US mainland airport. The airline has also added Boston to its network, offering four weekly flights from Santo Domingo. Additionally, according to Cirium data, it is also starting flights between Punta Cana to Newark early next year.
|
Route |
Frequency |
|---|---|
|
Santo Domingo to Newark Liberty |
Two daily (except Sat); Two to one daily from January 2026; One daily from April 2026 |
|
Santo Domingo to Miami |
One daily |
|
Punta Cana to Miami |
One daily |
|
Punta Cana to San Juan |
Four weekly (Tue, Fri, Sat, Sun) |
|
Santo Domingo to San Juan |
Four weekly (Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri) |
|
Santo Domingo to Boston |
Four weekly (Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sun) |
|
Punta Cana to Orlando Sanford |
Three weekly (Tue, Thurs, Sun) |
|
Punta Cana to Chicago O’Hare |
Three weekly |
|
Punta Cana to Newark Liberty |
Starting January 20 (winter seasonal); Three to four weekly |
Arajet Faces Competition Across Its US Markets
Arajet faces strong competition on its US routes, particularly from major American carriers and other operators serving the Dominican Republic. Miami is one of the airline’s busiest US gateways, and it is also a key hub for
American Airlines. American operates up to three daily flights from Miami to Punta Cana and four to five daily flights to Santo Domingo. Arajet, by comparison, offers one daily flight on each route.
Newark is another competitive market.
United Airlines serves both Santo Domingo and Punta Cana from the airport, operating up to three daily flights on each route. JetBlue also flies from Newark to Santo Domingo with a daily service. Arajet competes directly with both carriers on these city pairs.
Furthermore, in Chicago, Arajet shares the market with American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines. American and Frontier each operate one daily flight from Chicago to Punta Cana, while United also maintains regular service on the route. Boston is similarly competitive. JetBlue operates up to two daily flights from Boston to Santo Domingo. Delta also serves the market from Boston, offering a daily winter seasonal service to Punta Cana.
« An Important Milestone »: Arajet Shares Details On Beginning New Service To 3 US Cities
One of the fastest-growing airlines in the region is looking to expand into the United States this summer. Low-cost carrier Arajet flew over one million passengers last year across 16 countries from its two bases in the Dominican Republic. Now, Arajet is looking to create a hub in the region by launching flights to three destinations in the US.
Where does Arajet fly?
Arajet Eyes Further US Growth
Arajet initially started as Dominican Wings, a charter operator that was rebranded and relaunched as an ultra-low-cost carrier in 2022. Since then, it has expanded quickly, supported by investment from Bain Capital and Griffin Global Asset Management. Indeed, the Dominican Republic remains the Caribbean’s most visited destination, which surpassed 10 million arrivals last year, and Arajet has used this demand to build a broad network across the region.
By the end of this year, it expects to reach 30 destinations in 18 countries across the Americas. The United States has been a key focus for the airline. Arajet has already applied to local regulators to operate up to ten additional US routes, with potential cities including Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. In addition to its current hubs in Santo Domingo and Punta Cana, the carrier is also evaluating future US flights from Santiago de los Caballeros.