Jamaica’s airport community is in for a serious improve, with greater than US$500 million in proposed investments geared toward increasing capability, enhancing security, and assembly the nation’s rising demand for air journey.
Minister of Science, Power, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, outlined the Authorities’s daring imaginative and prescient through the MBJ Airports digital discussion board on Wednesday, July 2, noting that airports stay essential to Jamaica’s growth agenda.
“Airports are main contributors and an engine of development within the nationwide financial system, enjoying a really central position within the journey and tourism trade,” he mentioned. “The airports are by nature very capital-intensive amenities with ongoing growth and different capital enchancment programmes geared in direction of assembly site visitors development, industrial and regulatory compliance, bettering effectivity, and sustaining top quality of customer support.”
Vaz mentioned Jamaica’s airport infrastructure—spanning each government-run and privately operated amenities—is backed by a US$152 million (J$25 billion) capital programme for fiscal 12 months 2025/26, and one other US$372 million (J$61 billion) earmarked for the 2026 to 2029 interval.
Probably the most formidable tasks on the horizon is the event of a brand new worldwide airport in Little London, Westmoreland.
“The airport location is about 20 minutes away from the Negril seven-mile strip the place a lot of the lodges are. The airport can even serve and broaden tourism and financial exercise within the western parishes of Jamaica,” Vaz mentioned, including that the phased growth is anticipated to price US$460 million and shall be pursued as a public-private partnership.
In St. Elizabeth, the Lionel Densham Aerodrome is inching nearer to inexperienced mild standing.
“The Lionel Densham Aerodrome… is at a far superior stage to go to the Public Funding Committee for approval,” Vaz mentioned. “It’s anticipated to offer airlift to south-central St. Elizabeth and surrounding areas, which is anticipated to drive tourism growth and financial growth in that a part of the island.”
In the meantime, in Portland, consultants are inspecting the viability of increasing the Ken Jones Aerodrome—or figuring out a brand new website altogether. “That is with a view of offering higher airlift functionality for japanese Jamaica, in response to elevated tourism growth and different plans held by the Authorities,” Vaz defined.
The Tinson Pen Aerodrome in Kingston can be set for relocation. The Airports Authority of Jamaica is collaborating with the Port Authority and the Nationwide Works Company on a relocation plan to Norman Manley Worldwide Airport.
Final month, it was additionally introduced that NMIA will quickly get a massive facelift, with PAC Kingston Airport Restricted (PACKAL) having formally entered the infrastructure section of its five-year, US$161 million redevelopment plan.
“Consultants engaged by the AAJ at the moment are conducting a examine for attainable various websites for the institution of an alternate aerodrome for Tinson Pen. We’re hoping to conclude these research by September 2025,” Vaz mentioned.
Whereas acknowledging the dimensions of present investments, Vaz burdened that ahead planning stays important. “Even with what we’re doing now, by the point we end that, we’d nonetheless be behind the eight ball by way of projecting future airport site visitors,” he famous.
