Dear Editor,

I’m not convinced that upgrading Negril Aerodrome into another international airport so close to Montego Bay is worth the time, cost, and effort.

One of the main benefits, arguably, would be to reduce the demand on Sangster International Airport (MBJ), which cannot cope with the volume of arriving passengers. Immigration and customs delays of two to four hours at MBJ are unacceptable. Travel bloggers have been sharing videos on social media of the very long lines. One asked if this is what they mean when they say ‘come to Jamaica and feel alright’.

I empathise with families travelling with small children and seniors who have to endure the long wait. Club Mobay VIP arrival service is always available as an option for passengers, but I think we should ensure that the arrival experience for most is at least tolerable. We want visitors to return to Jamaica, and we should strive to improve services on arrival at the airport as well as ground and air connections between Montego Bay and Negril. Hopefully the plans to upgrade the airport will also facilitate this improvement.

It wasn’t long ago that Ian Fleming Airport in Boscobel, St Mary, was upgraded at a cost of $2 billion. The airport was completed in 2022, and I believe there is only one commercial carrier currently using the airport for scheduled flights — InterCaribbean Airways from Turks and Caicos Islands, which operates small jets. American Airlines announced twice weekly flights to the airport from Florida in 2022 but postponed plans until additional navigation aids were provided at the airport. Ian Fleming Airport is now reportedly operating at a loss. Will Negril airport be the same?

From what I have gathered, the arrival numbers at Ian Fleming Airport are far below that which was anticipated when the airport was built. With airports, we must also consider noise and air pollution; carbon emissions; impact on wild life, especially birds; and having jets flying too close to communities where people live, work, and play. There is one reason why most airports are built in remote areas on the outskirts of cities.

Before we jump the gun on the proposed airport project in Negril, I hope feasibility studies will be conducted, showing cost and benefit analysis, which is shared with stakeholders. I think very often these big announcements are used as a tactic to distract from real problems facing the country and our inability to solve them.

P Chin

chin_p@yahoo.com