Jamaica’s two international airports would shutter their operations within 24 hours of the hurricane watch now in effect for the island being upgraded to a hurricane warning.

For now, both the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston are operating as usual.

“The question that is being asked out there is, ‘is there a possibility of the airports being closed’, so I made sure to clarify that with the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ). The minute that a hurricane warning has been issued it is likely that the airports will close within 24 hours,” said Transport Minister Daryl Vaz.

He was speaking Thursday at a media briefing at Jamaica House to update the country on the Government’s level of preparedness for the approaching tropical storm which forecasters say could impact Jamaica as a category 1 hurricane by Saturday.

Vaz explained that with both facilities being in different parts of the country, both may not close at the same time.

“It’s all dependent on the tracking of the storm or the hurricane, and the elements in terms of the location of the two airports which are obviously on the sea,” Vaz said.

“For right now, the airports remain open and the only time that we will move to close the airports will be if the Met Office issues a hurricane warning,” he emphasised.

Meanwhile, the AAJ has fully activated emergency protocols at the facilities in preparation for Melissa.

At Sangster’s, operators MBJ Airports Limited has implemented pre-hurricane measures including drainage and tree-clearing, testing of generators with a 36-hour fuel reserve, and positioning of emergency supplies.

At NMIA, PACKAL has directed stakeholders to secure assets and complete drain cleaning, structural checks and power system tests.

The transport minister said, “Both airports will expedite reopening once safety is confirmed, with updates shared through official bulletin, social media and in coordination with airlines and government partners”.