KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Urban Transit Company’s (JUTC) liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Portmore, St Catherine is to be commissioned into service shortly.

This was disclosed by Minister of Transport and Mining, Robert Montague, while addressing the Airports Authority of Jamaica’s (AAJ) 45

^th

anniversary banquet and long service awards ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on Friday, July 5.

“With the threat of climate change, the JUTC is looking at getting more LNG buses; as a matter of fact, we have acquired five already…The depot will run these buses as a pilot because we need longer buses and wider buses,” Montague said.

LNG is a much cleaner fuel than diesel oil, and offers economic and environmental benefits.

In the meantime, Montague challenged the AAJ “to rethink how transportation is done to the airports,” in light of the exponential growth in the number of visitors to the island over the years.

“We should be looking at bigger helicopters to move people. We should be looking at elevated trains; we need to begin to open our minds and look to the future and if the mind can conceive it, we can achieve it,” he noted.

During the ceremony, approximately 166 persons were recognised for yeoman service to the AAJ.

The entity was established in 1974 under the Airports Authority Act as an independent statutory body, with initial responsibility (ownership and management) for the nation’s two international airports – Norman Manley and Sangster.

In 1990, the AAJ took on the additional responsibility for the island’s four domestic aerodromes – Tinson Pen in Kingston, Ken Jones in Portland, Boscobel in St Mary and Negril in Westmoreland.   

Since its inception, the AAJ has worked diligently to fulfil its principal mandate of developing and operating a safe and secure airport system for Jamaica.