PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL) will next month invite bids for a major expansion of shops, restaurants, and duty-free concessions at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) as the airport operator looks to tap growing traffic from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe to offset weaker arrivals from the United States.

The request for proposals, scheduled for release beginning June, will cover dozens of concession spaces across the airport, including new food and beverage outlets, retail stores, bars, and a significantly larger walk-through duty-free operation in the arrivals area. The tender marks the most substantial commercial offering at the airport in years and signals the start of a broader push to increase non-aeronautical revenues.

“We’ve been saying this for the past three years, but it is really coming to fruition this year. I promise,” Chief Executive Officer Sitara English-Byfield told stakeholders during PACKAL’s annual airport forum at the S Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday.

Passenger traffic through Kingston declined 3.2 per cent in the first four months of 2026 compared with the corresponding period last year, reflecting weaker travel from the United States, which remains the airport’s largest source market.

Arrivals from the US fell 6.9 per cent over the period, reducing its share of total passenger traffic to 61 per cent from 64 per cent a year earlier. At the same time, the Caribbean grew by 4.4 per cent, Canada by 6.4 per cent, the United Kingdom by 3.6 per cent and South and Central America by 20.2 per cent, driven largely by expanded service from Copa Airlines.

That shift in the traffic mix is being supported by additional airline capacity. Copa has increased service between Panama City and Kingston from five weekly flights to daily operations, while British Airways has added a fourth weekly service between Kingston and London.

The airport is also adjusting to the closure of Spirit Airlines, which ceased operations on the Kingston-Fort Lauderdale route earlier this month. English-Byfield told the Jamaica Observer that management does not expect a significant impact because Spirit accounted for only a small share of traffic, and the route continues to be served by JetBlue Airways, the airport’s largest carrier, with a 31 per cent market share.

“We are not concerned about Spirit’s failure,” she said in an interview after the forum. “Spirit was only four per cent of our traffic, and the Fort Lauderdale route was already being served by JetBlue. They have always been flexible, and where they see a need, they will add flights.”

Beyond passenger traffic, Kingston’s cargo business continues to expand rapidly. Cargo volumes were up 50 per cent compared with 2025 and 70 per cent above 2019 levels, supported by growing regional connections and increased belly cargo capacity.

The June tender will include four concession spaces in a new link corridor now under construction, along with additional locations in the main commercial area and arrivals hall. PACKAL is also creating what it describes as an arrivals food court and plans to expand the airport’s arrivals duty-free footprint from roughly 60 square metres to approximately 179 square metres.

Prospective operators will be allowed to bid on multiple adjoining units, giving larger concessionaires the option of combining spaces to create sit-down restaurants and other larger-format concepts.

The concession tender forms part of a broader redevelopment programme that PACKAL said is now valued at approximately US$161 million. The investment includes a runway extension, customs and arrivals expansion, a new link corridor, wastewater improvements, and a range of passenger amenity upgrades.

PACKAL, the Jamaican subsidiary of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), has operated NMIA since October 2019 under a long-term concession agreement with the Government of Jamaica. GAP, which is listed on both the NYSE under the ticker PAC and the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores under the ticker GAP, also operates Sangster International Airport through its majority ownership of MBJ Airports Limited.

Since assuming operations, PACKAL says it has contributed US$304 million, or approximately $48.7 billion, to the Jamaican economy through revenues, taxes, and capital expenditure, while mobilising US$130 million in funding to support airport investments.

English-Byfield told BusinessWeek that much of the work is being carried out by Jamaican contractors. Local firms are handling projects such as the link corridor, elevator and escalator upgrades, tiling works and wastewater improvements, while larger specialised projects are awarded through competitive tenders open to both domestic and international firms.

“We use a lot of local firms. When we are doing major projects we issue an RFP, invite local companies and a few overseas companies, and the better company wins,” she said.

PACKAL said efforts to improve the passenger experience are also beginning to show results. The airport’s overall departure experience score rose to 4.02 in the first quarter of 2026, up from 3.99 in the third quarter of 2025, according to the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality Programme.

An artist’s rendering of the new link corridor planned for Norman Manley International Airport, which will form part of a broader commercial expansion by PAC Kingston Airport Limited. The corridor is expected to house four concession spaces and serve as a central feature of the airport’s push to add new shops, restaurants, and passenger amenities under its US$161-million redevelopment programme. More retail spaces will be rolled out in phase two of the project.