Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism (first right) greeted passengers who were aboard the flight coming out of Kansas City while Richard Vernon, Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay looked on.
Over 100 passengers and crew arrived in Jamaica last Saturday aboard Southwest Airlines’ inaugural flight from Kansas City, Missouri in the United States to Montego Bay.
The visitors received a warm welcome at the Sangster International Airport from tourism officials, among them was Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, who expressed his appreciation for the new service to the country.
“The excitement of the passengers was amazing. This flight brings to the reality of how connected Jamaica as a destination is in the United States. We cover 18 gateways that connect us to over 100 cities across the US,” Bartlett said.
He added that as Jamaica expands its inventory with 2,000 new rooms, he is confident that Jamaica will welcome three million stopover visitors next year.
Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board Donovan White expressed his optimism for the future of tourism in Jamaica.
“This new flight to Montego Bay is symbolic of the great things to come for the tourism industry. We have achieved a lot so far, and we look forward to additional flights that will help us to reach Minister Bartlett’s projected target of five million visitors and US$5 billion in earnings by 2025,” he noted. White added that he welcomed all the passengers for the inaugural flight and expressed gratitude for the visitors making Jamaica their preferred destination to visit.
The airline will be offering non-stop weekly flights from Kansas City to the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
Jamaica is projected to welcome 3.88 million visitors in 2023, with estimated earnings of US$4.2 billion.
Shane Munroe (left), CEO, MBJ Airports Ltd, receives the prestigious World Travel Award (WTA) from Graham Cooke, founder of World Travel Awards. Sangster International was again named the Caribbean’s Leading Airport at the WTA event hosted at Sandals Grande St Lucian, St Lucia last Saturday.
Sangster International Airport (SIA), operated by MBJ Airports Limited (MBJ), has again been name the Caribbean’s Leading Airport at the World Travel Awards (WTA) hosted at Sandals Grande St Lucian, St Lucia, last Saturday.
SIA emerged as the winner from a pool of 13 Caribbean competitors nominated for the prestigious award. The accolade was first bestowed on SIA in 2005, again in 2009 and each year to date.
“We are honoured to be named the Caribbean’s Leading Airport for the 15th consecutive year. This award is a testament to the dedication and tireless efforts of our entire airport team, and spans all agencies and team members who work diligently to ensure consistently high standards and service excellence. We remain steadfast in our efforts to transform Sangster International Airport to ensure a passenger-centric, sustainable, efficient and safe airport operation,” said Shane Munroe, chief executive officer of MBJ Airports Limited.
While enjoying the win for Sangster International, MBJ is also celebrating its 20th anniversary operating the airport. Over those 20 years, MBJ has made considerable investment in the development and transformation of the airport to improve the overall infrastructure and passenger experience.
The WTA was attended by travel industry leaders from across the Caribbean and The Americas, in acknowledgement of organisations spearheading the growth of the region’s travel and tourism sector.
Graham Cooke, founder of the WTA, said: “World Travel Awards has maintained its position as the industry leader for the past 30 years, consistently proving its value as the global benchmark for recognising excellence in travel and tourism.”
The Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.
The Norman Manley International Airport’s (NMIA) development is pivotal to the Government’s broader strategic plan to reposition Kingston as a regional business centre and Jamaica as a logistics hub.
Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz said crucial improvements to the facility by PACKAL, projected between the last and current fiscal years, are critical to protecting the NMIA’s reputation as one of Jamaica’s most valuable assets.
“The NMIA is, therefore, not just a place for departures and arrivals. It is a symbol of progress, a hub of opportunities, and has tremendous potential for growth,” he maintained.
The minister was addressing the PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL) NMIA Airport Forum on Friday, August 25, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
Vaz emphasised that the NMIA’s future rests in the facility’s untapped potential, and urged that more development be done to enhance the airport’s capabilities.
“The Government’s vision for the airport’s development is rooted in the need of the present and promise of the future. We look forward for the upgrades to be undertaken in a timely manner by PACKAL to serve the immediate needs of the travellers, stakeholders, and long term [survival] of the industry,” he outlined.
Vaz said close collaboration among regulatory bodies, airlines, airport operators, and technology providers is necessary to maintain a higher standard of safety, security, and superior customer service.
The NMIA is the second-largest airport in Jamaica. It provides an essential service as Kingston’s gateway to the world.
On October 10, 2018, the Airports Authority of Jamaica and PAC Kingston Airport Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, entered into a 25-year concession greement for the operation of the Norman Manley International Airport.
On October 10, 2019, PACKAL officially began operating and maintaining the facility.
Statistics from the NMIA Ltd website indicate that the airport caters to over 1.7 million passengers and handles over 70 per cent (17 million kilogrammes) of the island’s airfreight.
Fernando Vistrain Lorence, CEO of PAC Kingston Airport Limited, speaks at PAC Kingston’s airport forum on the NMIA on Friday, August 25, 2023, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
The capital expansion programme for Norman Manley International Airport, NMIA, led by the upgrade of the runway and terminal store space, will resume following an agreement reached between operator PAC Kingston Airport Limited and the Jamaican government.
“The main thing that will change is the timeline, but the costs are going to increase. Many of the projects will be executed soon, meaning the runway extension will start next year in the first quarter. And other [projects] are going to be executed before that,” said Fernando Vistrain Lorence, CEO of PACKAL.
Lorence said that the capital programmes will be fast-tracked, including the runway repavement and extension; expansion of the commercial stores in the terminal lounge; expansion of its solar power plant from 2.0 megawatts to 5.0 MW, which aims to reduce its reliance on the national electricity grid by 75 per cent; and wastewater treatment rehabilitation. Additionally, the airport will add concession agreements with third-party store operators, with plans to open a service station by the airport roundabout, and an airport taxi service this year.
The original capital programme totalled US$213 million for NMIA, based on terms set in the concession agreement some five years earlier.
The airport welcomed 1.0 million total passengers between January and July, or 25 per cent higher than the 807,000 total passengers a year earlier. The airline JetBlue holds the largest market share at 34 per cent, followed by American Airlines with 18 per cent. From a cargo perspective, the top providers are Caribbean Airlines with 35 per cent, British Airways with 26 per cent, and Amerijet, also with 26 per cent.
At a forum on Friday, the airport was described as an old operating plant, but one which could be modernised. PACKAL started managing the airport under a 30-year agreement in October 2018.
Minister of Transport Daryl Vaz said feedback was expected from Cabinet on the capital agreement with PACKAL.
“There has been a sign-off, with tweaking from the original agreement, and I am hoping to get comments back from Cabinet within the next week,” he said on Friday. “Once that is done and signed, that will pave the way for PACKAL to do and live by that agreement. It will include timelines and when things need to be done. And that template will be non-negotiable. You have lost enough time due to COVID-19, and lost enough time with the issues of the plant.”
Vaz added that more needs to be done to address regulatory and consumer issues at the airport.
President of the Airports Authority of Jamaica Audley Deidrick said the new agreement was not a renegotiation of the concession but rather, an adjustment due to reductions in travel arising from the COVID-19. The reduction in travel would impact on PACKAL’s revenue, and, therefore, its return on investment and ability to fund its capital expenditure.
“It was a focused matter of the impairment which the airport suffered as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, and sought to rebalance their affairs … . That is the only focus of this process,” said Deidrick. “It was not a process of renegotiation; that was never accommodated by the Government of Jamaica.”
PAC Kingston is a subsidiary of Mexico-based Pacific Airport Group. The company also holds the concession for the Jamaica’s largest airport, Sangster International, in Montego Bay through MBJ Airport Limited.
Jamaica Highlights 