Scheduled international flights to begin soon at Ian Fleming airport

The Ian Fleming International Airport in St Mary will soon begin weekly scheduled international flights with InterCaribbean Airways out of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The announcement was made today by Minister of Transport and Mining, Robert Montague at a road safety awareness event put on by the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODSS)  the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority has granted approval for InterCaribbean Airways to begin scheduled flights out of the airport.

A statement from the transport ministry indicated that the flights mark the first scheduled international flights operating out of the Ian Fleming International Airport and forms part of the efforts of the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) to increase traffic in and out of the island's smallest international airport, pumping in excess of US$2 million into the Jamaican economy.

“This development is particularly important because the largest single employer in the Turks and Caicos Islands is Sandals Resorts, the largest Jamaican owned luxury all-inclusive resort, with approximately 600 Jamaicans directly employed there and an estimated 6000 Jamaicans and descendants living in the island,” said Montague.

Noting the limitations regarding the size of planes that can fly in and out of the airport, InterCaribbean Airways will offer 30-seater planes that will operate out of the airport weekly.

This is also with a view to ensure easier access to hotels, villas and guest houses in northern parishes and further boost the growing popularity of Jamaica's northeastern region among visitors.

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