KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government of Jamaica has announced that despite its best efforts to begin scheduled international flights from Miami, Florida to the Ian Fleming International Airport (IFIA) in Boscobel in November 2022, those plans will have to be postponed.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Government said the decision was made in solidarity with its stakeholders including the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) and the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA).
“The AAJ and the JCAA, has been working with American Airlines (AA) to begin scheduled international flights from Miami, Florida to the Ian Fleming International Airport (IFIA) in Boscobel in November 2022, as announced earlier this year. Since the time of the announcement, AA has been working with the AAJ and the JCAA towards ensuring that all the necessary regulatory and supporting structures and arrangements are in place to facilitate the flight,” the statement read. “However, despite continued work to make this a reality, an agreement was reached to postpone the launch of the service to a later date than originally announced.”
The statement explained that the decision was taken in consultation with the Jamaican Authorities, to allow for additional Air Navigation Services, requested by American Airlines to be provided at the Ian Flemming facility.
“Some specific requirements regarding flight navigational aids, which currently exceed what now exists at the IFIA, were outlined by AA. This is to ensure consistency of service during periods of unstable weather conditions, after commencement of operation,” the GOJ statement read. “Notwithstanding all the stakeholders' best efforts, the implementation of these additional measures to meet AA’s requirements would take another 6-7 months.”
The Ministry of Transport and Mining, through the JCAA and the AAJ, says it is “committed to having the outstanding measures addressed within this timeline, while keeping the relevant parties abreast of the progress, to ensure that planning and implementation can be synchronised.”
“The collective decision of American Airlines, the AAJ and JCAA is to ensure that we maintain proper international standards for the safety of crew and passengers,” the statement continued.
It is expected that the additional requirements will be in place by April 2023. AA has promised to announce a new commencement date.
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