Arajet, a new Caribbean airline, has ordered 20 of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and placed options for 15 additional planes, the aviation giant announced Monday.

Based in the Dominican Republic and aiming to serve destinations in North and South America such as Brazil, Arajet plans to rely solely on planes in the 737 MAX family, similar to low-cost American carrier Southwest Airlines.

“Flying an exclusive 737 MAX fleet will enable Arajet to save on fuel, maintenance and operations costs, and pass those savings on to its customers,” Mike Wilson, head of Boeing’s commercial airplane division in Latin America and the Caribbean, said in a statement.

Together with five other planes it plans to lease, the carrier could have a total of 40 MAX aircraft.

Arajet aims to create about 4,000 jobs and take advantage of rebounding air travel as concerns about Covid-19 ebb.

The order with Boeing was finalized in January, however Arajet’s involvement was not confirmed at the time.

Boeing has had two lean years caused to the pandemic and the crisis revolving around the 737 MAX, which has been gradually returning to service since the end of 2020 after being grounded for 20 months following two fatal accidents.

Boeing’s orders began to rebound in 2021, and so far this year the manufacturer has logged 114 orders, 87 of which are for 737 MAX planes.

© 2022 AFP