Seiveright defends Emirates flight announcement
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism Delano Seiveright says there was no misinforming of the public regarding a new Emirates flight service to Jamaica following accusations by People’s National Party (PNP) Senator Janice Allen that the ministry had made “inaccurate and misleading” statements.
“At no time did we state that Emirates would fly nonstop to Jamaica. The record speaks for itself. This is a legitimate scheduled airlift application by Emirates, part of our broader strategy to expand global connectivity,” the minister contended.
The exchange follows the announcement of a flight service from Dubai to Montego Bay via Frankfurt by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett on Wednesday.
In response, Allen had claimed Emirates was not launching flights to Jamaica, and what was announced was that Condor, a German airline, was expanding its service to the island.
READ: Tourism minister misleading on Emirates flights – PNP
Seiveright however pointed to details of an application from Emirates Airline for the scheduled air service, published by the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) on Wednesday to prove that the service was applied for by Emirates with the Frankfurt–Montego Bay leg operated by Condor Flugdienst GmbH under a codeshare agreement—a fact he says was made crystal clear in all government-issued statements.
“While the Opposition seems determined to play politics with progress, we remain focused on results. Jamaica’s aggressive airlift strategy throughout 2024 has yielded unprecedented gains across key markets” the minister said, sharing several examples.
Seiveright cited the first-ever commercial flight to the Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel St Mary from American Airlines; a 50 per cent increase in United Airlines flights to Jamaica since 2019 and Avelo Airlines’ first-ever international flight on November 16, directly connecting Hartford, Connecticut, to Montego Bay.
The minister also pointed to a Skyscanner report indicating a 45 per cent surge in bookings to Jamaica from Canada and a resumption of nonstop LATAM service from Lima, Peru.
Seiveright revealed too, that World2Fly will launch summer service in 2025 from Lisbon, Portugal, adding a reported 7,000 new visitors from Continental Europe.
“These are not hypotheticals. These are facts, flights, and figures—backed by applications, agreements, and passenger traffic,” he declared.
The Emirates flight will run each Wednesday beginning April 10th until December 26, 2026.
