People on the North Coast will have to wait until next year before the planned flights
of American Airlines (AA) into the airport at Boscobel, St Mary, commence.
The Ministry of Transport says it will take until next year April to meet regulatory and
other requirements requested by AA to ensure proper international standards for the
safety of crew and passengers.
There was much joy earlier this year when it was announced that AA would be flying
into the Ian Fleming International Airport (IFIA) at Boscobel, twice a week, starting
November 2022. That would effectively make active a third international airport and
give fresh prospects for tourism to the North East, particularly St Mary and Portland.
In fact, the airline had stated taking bookings for its planned two flights a week out of
Miami to what the travel trade was calling the Ocho Rios International Airport.
But now, word is that scheduled flights by AA will not begin until, at earliest, next
year April.
The Ministry of Tourism said that since the time of the announcement, AA has been
working with the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) and the Jamaica Civil Aviation
Authority (JCAA) toward ensuring that all the necessary regulatory and supporting
structures and arrangements are in place to facilitate the flight.
In a statement Friday, the Ministry of Transport said despite continued work to
facilitate the flight, this was not possible. It said an agreement was reached to
postpone the launch of the service to a later date than originally announced.
“This decision was taken by AA, in consultation with the Jamaican Authorities, to
allow for additional Air Navigation Services, requested by AA, to be provided at
IFIA. Some specific requirements regarding flight navigational aids which currently
exceeds what now exists at the IFIA were outlined by AA. This is to ensure
consistency of service during periods of unstable weather conditions, after
commencement of operation,” the statement said.
The Transport Ministry says the implementation of these additional measures to meet
AA’s requirements would take another six to seven months.
“This is critical to ensuring a safe, reliable, consistent and seamless service.”
The Ministry said it expects “the additional requirements will be in place by April
2023. AA has promised to announce a new commencement date.”
C.Hall
