The first flight of the Dominican Republic startup Arajat is down for September 15th, barely a month away. It'll be on the 621-mile (999km) route from Santo Domingo, the country's capital, to Colombia's Barranquilla. Some 13 routes are now bookable. Here's what Arajet, with its initial fleet of four 189-seat B737 MAX 8s, is currently planning.

First flight: September 13th

September 15th will see Arajet's first revenue-generating service. Flight DM3010 – isn't it interesting how an airline chooses a flight number? – is scheduled to leave Santo Domingo at 06:30 AM bound for Barranquilla, arriving at 07:20 AM local time. Colombia is one hour behind the Dominican Republic, meaning a block time of 1h 50m.

The first day's flying is as follows, with all times local. There are four sectors that day, but notice the big empty space in the late morning and afternoon. While it's unlikely to add more flights on day one, that space will be filled with other routes, with potentially two or even four additional sectors, depending on the length.

• Santo Domingo to Barranquilla: DM3010, 06:30 AM - 07:20 AM (1h 50m block time)
• Barranquilla to Santo Domingo: DM3011, 08:05 AM - 10:55 AM (1h 50m)
• Santo Domingo to Cali: DM3230, 18:20 - 20:05 (2h 45m)
• Cali to Santo Domingo: DM3231, 20:50-00:30 AM (+1) (2h 40m)

Prices on both routes start from USD$69.99 one-way. Like many ULCCs, you only get a personal item for that price. For $197 one-way, you get everything, including a 20kg bag, seat selection, and the chance to change flights up to three times.

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13 routes for now

Arajet's website shows that it has 13 routes planned for now, organized in the table below by start date. All are bookable. There's a total of 33 weekly flights and a median of 2x weekly, typical for a ULCC, with an average sector length of 1,137 miles (1,830km).

While the sector length is higher than normal for a ULCC, that's hardly surprising because of where it's based. About half of its routes will fall within the all-important one-to-two-hour sweet spot for aircraft productivity.

Many more routes are coming, including to North America. Indeed, 33 weekly services equate to fewer than five daily departures – obviously very few for its initial four aircraft. Those four aircraft alone could eventually have 12x or more daily outbound flights.

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Arajet's initial network

Minimal competition

Like many ULCCs, which prioritize unserved routes, 11 of Arajet's 13 initial routes will not have any head-to-head competition. (Of the two that will, they're by much smaller aircraft.) Multiple routes, including Cartagena and Monterrey, haven't even been operated before, while others previously had service.

Booking data shows that, of the unserved routes, the largest is San Jose. Other sizable markets before demand rises from lower fares, nonstop service, and good promotions are Guatemala City, Lima, Cancun, and San Salvador. Each had between 14,000 and 30,000 indirect passengers in 2019.

Based on 2019 passenger figures, potential unserved future routes in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America may include Guayaquil, Quito, Kingston, Medellín, Georgetown, Port of Spain, Managua, Guadalajara, and Nassau.

Where would you like Arajet to fly in the coming years? Let us know in the comments.