SANTO DOMINGO.- Tourism minister Felix Jimenez said the new airline Air Dominicana’s first flight will take off from Las Americas Airport on May 2, with president Leonel Fernandez in the inaugural flight, scheduled to cross part of the country’s territory.
"The airplane comes from Majorca, Spain and will arrive next week for test flights and will take off at 10 a.m. on the 2nd from Las Americas towards a nearby destination, so the President can go and return within two-and-a-half or three hours," he said, and that to carry out this historical flight media directors and tourism industry leaders, among others have also been invited.
Jiménez said 70 percent of Air Dominicana’s shares are privately held, and the remaining 30 percent belong to the Dominican State.
He said 14 of the new carrier’s 16 pilots are Dominicans, who’ve been trained in Miami’s Panam Academy.
According to Spanish newspaper Terra, the carrier's routed is Punta Cana (east)-Colombia-Venezuela, using a Boeing B737.

oooo
"The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Developed from Boeing's 727 and 707, the 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900. Currently series -600 through -900 are being produced.
First envisioned in 1964, the 737 entered service in 1968. Forty years later it has become the most ordered and produced commercial passenger jet in the world. Continuously manufactured by Boeing since 1967 with over 7,000 ordered and over 5,000 delivered (as of 2007), there are over 1,250 of the type airborne at any given time.]
On average, a 737 departs or lands somewhere every five seconds."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B737
[Two questions.]
New or "preowned?"
How are they going to deal with rising fuel cost?
Oh, I forgot, Colombia.
Dominican Pilots... Oh boy
Rule No. 1: No Presidente (Beer) on board
Rule No. 2: All departing flights leave on hora Americana (on time)
Rule No. 3: Stop passengers from praying before the flights... It scare the crap out of me.
j/k
GOOD LUCK Air Dominicana