AIRFREIGHT company Exec Direct Aviation Services (EDA) on Friday launched services from the Miami International Airport (MIA) to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.

The service to Montego Bay is being provided on demand as EDA expands its air cargo operations to meet the needs of local exporters and importers, the company stated in a press release yesterday.

EDA began its new service to MIA on Tuesday.

"Now that we are operating from Miami we will see a higher utilisation of our SAAB 340A aircraft, which has a capacity of 8,000 pounds. EDA will not only offer more air cargo options to and from Miami for local businesses but will provide access to a greater number of destinations within the US, Latin America and Europe thereby expanding trade opportunities," said EDA chief operating officer Kamal Clarke.

MIA is the world's largest gateway to Latin America & the Caribbean and controls the north / south cargo flows in the Western Hemisphere. Handling 83 per cent of all air imports and 81 per cent of all exports from the Latin American / Caribbean region, MIA serves as the hub for distribution of perishable products, hi-tech commodities, telecommunications equipment, textiles, pharmaceuticals and industrial machinery.

EDA now operates two flights per week to Miami with flights departing Kingston on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. and returning to Kingston or Montego Bay on Wednesday and Friday mornings arriving at 8:30 am. On the mornings when EDA flies into Montego Bay, arrival in Kingston will be at 9:40 am. The company stated that this type of scheduling is what is known as a 'skip and stop' schedule and will be utilised in order to best meet the needs of its customers.

EDA began cargo flights to Florida (Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport) in November 2011 and says it is the first Jamaican owned all-cargo carrier to benefit from the arrangements for cargo service to the USA under the Open Skies Agreement. The permit allows the Kingston-based company to engage in foreign air transportation of property and mail between any point or points in Jamaica and gateways in the USA or from other points in a third country or countries to the USA.

The company, which began operations last July, obtained a permit from America's Transport Department to make flights to that country.

EDA is a regional all-cargo airline.

The company boasts that the interconnectivity to the world market will allow EDA to offer additional exciting new services.

One such new service that the company intends to offer is 'ShipMe', which will facilitate online shoppers, said Shermaine Robotham, EDA's marketing representative. She said that purchases to Jamaica are delivered through third parties which take long periods of time and with much more hassle than EDA. EDA will provide a US address for packages which they pick up and ship on their plane, cutting out unnecessary waits.