AIR JAMAICA has stepped up security on all flights coming from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.
The decision to further increase security follows an advisory yesterday from US authorities of a non-specific threat against an unspecified flight from New York to Jamaica.
The president of Air Jamaica, Chris Zacca, said although the airline was not advised that the threat was specific to an Air Jamaica flight, the airline was carrying out additional searches on all passengers and luggage and would increase the security presence around all flights from New York.
To facilitate the additional security checks, Flight 016 from New York to Kingston was delayed for an hour, arriving in the island at 4:07 p.m., having left John F. Kennedy Airport at noon.
Mr. Zacca said the additional security measures would remain as long as was necessary.
Since the September 11 attack on the United States last year, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has instructed the implementation of tighter security measures and the enforcement of older security ones at all international airports to minimise the possibility of a repeat of the previous attack which left more than 3,000 people dead.
