ST MARY, Jamaica — The Ian Fleming International Airport (IFIA) will soon begin weekly scheduled international flights out of the Turks and Caicos Islands with InterCaribbean Airways.

The announcement was made by Minister of Transport and Mining Robert Montague at the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services (TODDS) 8th Annual Road Safety Awareness 40-Day Campaign on Thursday. Montague said the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority has approved for InterCaribbean Airways to begin scheduled flights out of the IFIA.

These flights will 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 more than  US$2M 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,” Minister Montague said.

Noting the limitations regarding the size of aircrafts 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 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.

The Ian Fleming International Airport development project, which commenced in March 2018, includes the expansion of the existing terminal building and runway, as well as enhanced security.

The facility, which is owned and operated by the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), provides flight services to the United States and the Caribbean, and direct landing arrangements for private jet owners.