Jamaica getting major financial boost from air connectivity

With increased activities at the island's airports, including carriers from some 200 gateways in the United States, Jamaica has garnered over US$200.28 million, or J$30 billion, in revenue.

In his 2024-25 Sectoral Debate in Parliament last week, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said flights into the island in 2023, including those to the Ian Fleming International Airport in St Mary, resulted in a record-breaking 6.96 million passengers passing through the airports.

"The connectivity that Jamaica enjoys today is unprecedented in the region; only Dom Rep has a higher level of air connectivity than Jamaica," said Bartlett. "In 2023, our destination recorded a remarkable 15.4 per cent increase in airlift capacity, compared to the previous year, totalling 4,105,313 seats. This increase in capacity resulted in an average load factor of 83.5 per cent accommodating 3.4 million passengers."

Bartlett said Jamaica's robust air connectivity framework enabled the country to welcome an estimated 2.96 million stopover visitors for fiscal year 2023-24, reflecting a 9.4 per cent increase over the 2022-23 financial year.

He highlighted several key achievements in boosting airlift. Internationally, he pointed out the introduction of a new non-stop service from Denver, Colorado, by United Airlines. In addition, Southwest introduced new non-stop flights between Kansas City, Missouri, and Montego Bay; Delta Airlines resumed non-stop flights between New York's JFK and Kingston, and later in the year, American Eagle inaugurated non-stop flights between Miami and the Ian Fleming International Airport in St Mary.

Bartlett also announced that American Airlines had signalled its intention to increase flights to the St Mary airport, which is seemingly increasing in popularity.