Dominican airline Arajet began nonstop flights this week between Santiago de los Caballeros and Medellín, Colombia, offering 740 seats per week with operations on Mondays and Thursdays.
Victor Pacheco, the company's founder, explained that the new connection will allow residents of the Cibao region to discover and explore the charms of Medellin, with new planes, low prices, and the opportunity to connect to other destinations.
“Colombia is the third largest source of tourists to the Dominican Republic, and we are proud to be the first airline to connect Cibao International Airport with José María Córdova International Airport. This route will strengthen tourism and trade ties between these cities and benefit the economies of both countries,” Pacheco stated, according to a press release.
Likewise, the manager of the José María Córdova International Airport, Javier Benítez, highlighted that thanks to Arajet's commitment and vision, the new direct route from the Santiago de los Caballeros airport was inaugurated, after noting that the North Zone of the Dominican Republic constitutes one of the main economic, social and cultural centers of the country.
“We are pleased with this second direct route from Medellín, as our passengers will enjoy greater comfort, time savings, and connections to their destinations. We congratulate Arajet on this new commitment to a wonderful destination and hope that the two weekly flights, on Mondays and Thursdays, will provide pleasant journeys for many Colombian passengers and allow us to welcome many Dominicans,” he said.
Teófilo Gómez, general manager of the Cibao Airport, expressed: "We are delighted to inaugurate this new route from Santiago to Medellín, first to offer a connection to Colombia from Cibao, a demand that has existed for a long time, and second, and no less important, because it is being started by Arajet, a Dominican airline with enormous potential to serve this and other destinations from our airport.".
Preferred destination for Colombians
According to the Colombian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (Anato), the Dominican Republic is among the top 10 destinations preferred by Colombians when vacationing.
During 2022, the number of Colombian travelers to the Dominican Republic increased by 154%, making it the third nationality of tourists who visit the country the most.
Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia, the country's tourism promotion agency, which is part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, stated that "Colombia is experiencing a historic moment in its tourism industry." "In 2022, we surpassed the record for international travelers. The Dominican Republic plays a very important role in the growing number of visitors exploring our country.".
He added that the new Arajet route between Medellín and Santiago will help consolidate the flow of tourism and business travelers between the two countries. "We want more Dominicans to consider Colombia as an ideal destination for transformative experiences and to discover a complementary range of value-added goods and services," he said.
Since its launch in September 2022, more than 280,000 passengers have experienced Arajet's service aboard its fleet of state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The airline currently operates to 18 destinations in 13 countries across North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, the statement said.
