Dominican Carrier Deepens South Florida Ties as Miami Traffic Grows
Arajet, the Dominican Republic’s flag carrier, joined the Miami Marlins and the Dominican Republic’s Ministerio de Turismo (Ministry of Tourism) on August 22, 2026, to celebrate Dominican Heritage Day at loanDepot park in Miami, an event dedicated to the culture, music and traditions of the Dominican community in South Florida.
The celebration coincided with the Marlins’ game against the Washington Nationals and included Dominican music, dance, food and interactive activities meant to bring the spirit of the Dominican Republic into the ballpark. Festivities opened before first pitch at West Plaza with live music and Dominican dancers, continued with a Heritage Parade on the field along with family activities and food, and closed after the game with a performance by Dominican merengue artist Toño Rosario.
The event builds on a season-long sponsorship Arajet struck with the Marlins in April 2026, under which the airline holds a permanent brand presence at loanDepot park for every regular-season home game and operates a hospitality space called the Flight Deck for travel agents, tour operators and influencers. The relationship predates that formal deal: when Arajet flew its inaugural Miami route in April 2025, Marlins President of Business Operations Caroline O’Connor took part in the celebration at Miami International Airport, which included an exchange of jerseys between the Dominican Republic’s national baseball team and the Marlins, according to the airport’s own newsroom. Announcing the 2026 season sponsorship in April, Robert Gelman, the Marlins’ vice president of partnership development and marketing, said the arrangement reflects “the strength of our platform at loanDepot park to connect brands with diverse and passionate audiences,” while Arajet Chief Executive and Founder Víctor Pacheco Méndez called Miami “one of the most relevant markets for Arajet,” according to Aviacionline.
“Being part of Dominican Heritage Day alongside the Miami Marlins is an opportunity to celebrate a community that keeps our culture and identity alive beyond our borders. Miami is already our second-most-important route in the United States by passenger volume, which shows the strong connection that exists between this community and the Dominican Republic,” said Manuel Luna, Arajet’s chief communications officer. “We are proud to continue strengthening that bond and creating more opportunities for Dominicans to stay close to home.”
Luna’s claim comes as Arajet has been touting strong growth out of South Florida. The airline moved more than 80,000 passengers through Miami in 2025, according to Diario Libre, which cited Arajet Vice President of Communications José Gregorio Cabrera. Arajet closed 2025 with 1,480,272 passengers systemwide, a 37% increase over the prior year, making it the third-largest airline serving the Dominican Republic, behind American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) and JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU). Arajet plans to grow its fleet from 13 to 17 aircraft by the end of 2026, according to the same report.
From Miami, Arajet flies directly to Santo Domingo and Punta Cana, with onward connections across its network in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The airline, founded in 2022 and based at Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo and Punta Cana International Airport, operates a fleet of Boeing (NYSE: BA) 737 MAX aircraft and won the Best Startup Airline award from the CAPA Awards at the 2023 World Aviation Summit, according to a company statement. In the release announcing the event, Arajet described its broader ambition to make the Dominican Republic what it called the “new air hub of the continent.”
Headline photo: Fans in Miami Marlins jerseys hold the Dominican Republic flag at loanDepot park during Dominican Heritage Day. (Photo courtesy Arajet)
