Bird Or Dolphin? The Story Of AraJet’s Boeing 737 MAX Tail
Despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the airline industry amid the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, startup airlines are continuing to appear. One such carrier is Arajet, which will serve the Dominican Republic. The airline’s vibrant livery is very distinctive, with the tail design having a nature-based theme.
Arajet in a nutshell
Let’s start by looking at exactly what kind of airline Arajet plans to be. Although the company is yet to take to the skies, it dates back several years. It began life as a charter operator known as Dominican Wings, a carrier that received its AOC back in 2014. Lithuanian lessor Avion Express previously had a 65% stake in the airline.
In 2017, it sold this stake to the carrier’s President, Victor Miguel Pacheco Mendez, granting him full ownership. A year later, Dominican Wings rebranded as flycana, and shifted its focus from charter flights to scheduled operations on an ultra-low-cost basis. It planned to do so using an Airbus A320-200.
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More recently, in September 2021, the airline rebranded once again, this time taking on its current Arajet identity. According to ch-aviation.com, it did so to avoid confusion with rival Dominican startup Sky Cana. The country’s Junta de Aviación Civil (Civil Aviation Board) swiftly approved this name change.
Bird or dolphin?
Last week, images began emerging of Arajet’s first aircraft, which has now received the carrier’s colorful livery. As seen in the tweet below, purple plays a key role, being the color that both the plane’s engines and the airline’s name are written in. However, arguably the most distinctive part of the color scheme is its tail design.
The aircraft’s vertical stabilizer features a combination of colored shapes. Purple is dominant once again, but four other light blue, yellow, orange, and green stripes, as well as a black dot, give the design a rather animal-like appearance. However, the exact animal in question is something of a matter of perspective.
Even within the team here at Simple Flying, some of us see a parrot, while others see a dolphin. You can find both of these animals in the country, so perhaps the design is deliberately multi-faceted. In more concrete terms, Arajet’s first plane has been named after Pico Duarte, the country’s tallest mountain (3,098 meters high).
What’s next for the airline?
The reveal of Arajet’s first aircraft, which bears the registration HI1026, is an exciting moment for the airline. According to data from ATDB.aero, this Boeing 737 MAX 8 was previously registered as N4022T. The website adds that delivery of the narrowbody to Arajet looks set to take place next month.
This will be the first of an eventual five 737 MAX aircraft to join Arajet. The carrier’s website states that they will feature 189 seats, suggesting an all-economy configuration. However, despite this dense setup, it still foresees recline as being an available feature. It will certainly be interesting to chart Arajet’s progress this year.
Are you excited about the prospect of Arajet taking to the skies? Do you think the tail design looks more like a parrot or a dolphin? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Journalist – A graduate in German, Jake has a passion for aviation history, and enjoys sampling new carriers and aircraft even if doing so demands an unorthodox itinerary. A keen amateur photographer, he also recently reached the milestone of flying his 100th sector as a passenger. Based in Norwich, UK.
