KINGSTON, Jamaica —Jamaica is examining the hub-and-spoke model to address regional air transportation challenges, according to Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett.

“The Caribbean is having a destination crisis, an air transportation crisis. There is no question about it, and Jamaica is going to have to play a critical role in enabling solutions [to] that problem by providing the hub-and-spoke arrangement,” Bartlett said.

This system of air transportation will see local airports offering flights to a central airport where international or long-distance flights are available.

Addressing an appreciation ceremony for staff at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston recently, the Minister said Kingston will be a critical hub in this arrangement to facilitate transit to the eastern Caribbean and the other Caribbean countries.

This, the Minister said, will make air connectivity “easier and much more seamless”.

Significantly, Bartlett noted that there has been an emergence of several smaller airlines in the Caribbean, with some providing connecting flight routes, which facilitate linkages into other islands.

“So far, we are seeing a number of new airlines emerging in the Caribbean – smaller but important new airlines,” he said.

As part of the Ministry’s mandate to provide additional routes for travellers, this year three new gateways were opened.

Frontier Airlines will serve Atlanta to Kingston, Miami to Kingston, and Tampa to Montego Bay; American Airlines began its Austin to Montego Bay Route; and Spirit Airlines also had its inaugural flight out of Bradley International Airport in Connecticut to Montego Bay.

It is anticipated that these gateways will boost arrivals and expand ease of access to the island.