More airlift into MoBay as of next month
WESTERN BUREAU — There will be more airlift into the western resort city of Montego as of early next month as Allegro Airlines and Sky King Inc begin offering charter service into the Sangster International Airport.
The non-scheduled flights will begin on June 10th.
Tourism Director Paul Pennicook has welcomed the additional flights into the island.
“Whenever you see these charters coming in, that means that the tour operators are putting on extra flights,” he explained. “We have not really been short of air fleets but we welcome additional charters… It is a plus for tourism.”
Pennicook noted that during the winter season there is increased demand for these flights as more persons flock to the island and chartered flights were therefore a good supplement to the already existing fleets like Air Jamaica.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was established in May 1996 to replace the Air Transport Licensing Board, and which has the responsibility for regulating aviation, not only flying operations but commercial activities as well, granted the permits to the two companies.
According to the CAA’s director, Colonel Torrance Lewis, the Authority receives up to 100 applications a year and most are granted permits.
“We refuse very few of them,” he said.
Permits can be granted up to three years but have to be renewed annually. Scheduled flights like Air Jamaica and American Airlines do not have permits but licences, and these are for longer periods — up to five years. Advertising the permit applications ensures transparency so persons can make objections if they choose to do so.
According to Lewis, applications “usually come in around spring break, festivals, and the winter season”.
Before permits are granted, applicants have to prove that:
* they are authorised by their own governments
* they have an operating certificate from their own country and
* they are operating legally.
“They must also not be a commercial disaster,” he quipped.
Allegro Airlines and Sky King Inc will depart from Texas and New Orleans respectively.
