Jamaica is trying to position its two main international airports as alternative transport hubs to Miami International Airport (MIA), as it presses ahead with privatisation plans.

Miami is the transit point for millions of travellers - amounting to more than 38 million last year - whereas Jamaica's Sangster International and Norman Manley International see throughput of 4.8 million passengers per year combined.

More than 18 million of the MIA passengers are international, and Transport Minister Dr Omar Davies is urging investors to consider positioning the Jamaican airports as an alternative hub to the ultra-busy hub.

The Jamaican Government privatised Sangster in 2003 and is attempting to do the same with Norman Manley International.

Davies said Jamaica could serve a very important role in the ease of movement of travellers between South and Central America and Europe, much of which transits through Miami.

"Either of our two international airports could provide a viable alternative to Miami, with significant economic benefits to the country," Davies told the monthly Mayberry Investor Forum last Wednesday.

Davies said that anyone who has travelled through Miami recently "would acknowledge that this is not a pleasant experience.

"There is an opportunity waiting for some investor and I wish to publicly indicate the Government's willingness to collaborate in making this possibility into a reality," the transport minister said.

Miami handles two million tons of freight, whereas Sangster and Norman Manley handle 14,808 tons.

business@gleanerjm.com