PAWA Dominicana (Santo Domingo Las Américas) has announced it will commence scheduled passenger flights in August having recently completed all requisite certification and licensing procedures with the local Dominican authorities.

Now designated the country's national carrier, PAWA's Director of Corporate Affairs, Alexander Barrios, has said it will serve the islands of St. Maarten, Aruba, and Curacao initially before expanding to San Juan Luis Muñoz Marin, Miami International, New York JFK, and Havana International in its second phase.

Barrios added that the decision to delay the airline's official launch by almost two months was to allow for the securing of operating permits from authorities on the islands of Curacao, St. Maarten and Aruba. The Dominican government is also assisting the start-up in securing the necessary US and Cuban traffic rights.

Thus far, PAWA has acquired a fleet of three DC-9-30s, one MD-82, two MD-83s, and two MD-87s.