Air travel plunged in October as Melissa disrupted flights
Published:Friday | November 28, 2025 | 12:07 AMSteven Jackson - Senior Business Reporter
Travellers to Jamaica fell sharply in October 2025, underscoring the immediate impact of Hurricane Melissa on the country’s tourism and travel markets.
Despite making landfall just three days prior to month-end, the storm caused double-digit declines in passenger traffic at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, according to a traffic report from Pacific Airport Group, the Mexican company that controls Jamaica’s two largest airports.
The fallout in Montego Bay was estimated at 17.6 per cent, or 56,200, and 13 per cent, or 18,100 passengers, in Kingston – totalling 74,300 fewer travellers in October.
Montego Bay, which is Jamaica’s primary international gateway, ended up with a monthly total of 263,000 in passenger traffic, down from 319,200 in October of 2024, while Kingston recorded 121,500 total passengers, down from 139,600.
“As part of the significant events that took place during October, it is important to highlight the impact of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica on October 28th, which caused disruptions to airport operations across the island,” GAP stated in its report. GAP is the acronym for the Mexican company’s name, which, in Spanish, is Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico.
The disruption came as Jamaica was preparing for the winter tourist season, a critical period for its economy.
The storm forced temporary closures at both airports. Kingston resumed operations on October 30 after runway and terminal inspections, while Montego Bay reopened on October 31 following extensive repairs.
The Montego Bay airport, “which sustained the most significant damage, resumed commercial flights … thanks to the immediate deployment of a specialised technical and maintenance team sent from Mexico,” GAP said. The company also dispatched five cargo aircraft carrying more than 60 tons of materials and supplies to accelerate recovery.
GAP operates 12 airports in Mexico and two in Jamaica. The Jamaican government manages Ian Fleming International Airport, the third and smallest international airport.
Despite the fallout in October, year-to-date figures show a mixed picture.
Kingston’s passenger traffic from January through to October increased by 4.5 per cent, reflecting steady growth earlier in the year. Montego Bay, however, was already trending slightly lower, with cumulative arrivals down 2.5 per cent before the hurricane deepened the decline.
“The speed of infrastructure and hotel supply recovery will be a determining factor in the destination’s economic and tourism reactivation,” the GAP report stated.
The Ministry of Tourism remains optimistic about a steady recovery, even as some hotels have delayed their reopening to 2026, which takes them beyond the annual December 15 kick-off to the winter tourist season, the most lucrative time of year for the resort market. Calls to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett for comment were unanswered.
Two-thirds of the tourists visiting Jamaica come from the United States. On November 3, the US State Department issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to “consider rescheduling planned travel to Jamaica at this time”, complicating the sector’s recovery.
Some areas, including Black River, popular for rafting, and Montego Bay, popular for its beaches, remain in varying stages of recovery from Hurricane Melissa.
“Until repairs are complete, fewer hotels and transportation options may be available. Services may also be limited,” the US advisory noted.
Between July and August 2025, Jamaica recorded 535,640 tourist visitors, generating foreign exchange earnings of US$786.8 million, which was 10 per cent higher year-on-year, according to preliminary data from the Planning Institute of Jamaica.