Hurricane Melissa aviation impact, Montego Bay airport destruction, Sangster International closure, Jamaica flight cancellations 2025, Norman Manley reopening, Ian Fleming relief flights, Hurricane Melissa Jamaica deaths, Caribbean airport damage, Montego Bay flooding aviation, Jamaica tourism flights, GAP airport suspension, Daryl Vaz airport updates
Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay sustained roof destruction and terminal flooding from Hurricane Melissa’s eyewall passage with video footage circulated on social media showing water ingress and structural collapse inside the facility.
The airport remains closed to all traffic with no timeline for reopening as Transport Minister Daryl Vaz states assessments reveal extensive damage that requires debris removal utility restoration and integrity checks on runways and lighting systems.
Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston reopened at 4:00 pm on 29 October for humanitarian aid flights with commercial operations resuming at 7:00 am on 30 October following inspections that confirm minimal structural impacts from the storm’s southern track. Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel serves as a contingency hub and opens for commercial flights at 7:00 am on 30 October while Sangster prepares for limited relief landings at 10:00 am on 30 October pending clearance from Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico which operates both main facilities.
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico reports the Jamaican sites contribute 11pc of its passenger traffic in the first nine months of 2025 with operations suspended at Kingston on 25 October at 9:00 pm and Montego Bay on 26 October at 12:00 pm leading to 58 cancellations at Sangster including 50 to or from the United States and 33 at Norman Manley including 15 US routes.
Airlines including American Airlines Southwest Airlines JetBlue United and Delta extend waiver policies through 31 October or 1 November allowing rebookings within 14 days without fare differences for affected routes to Kingston Montego Bay and Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. Air Canada and WestJet add capacity for evacuations with Tui positioning two Boeing 787 aircraft in the Caribbean for airlifts once northern airports stabilise while Virgin Atlantic grounds its London Heathrow to Montego Bay service on 27 October and the return flight. The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority confirms communication systems function on backup generators despite power outages affecting 77pc of the country and Petrojam maintains aviation fuel stocks at 80pc capacity across international sites to support resumption.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett accounts for all 25000 international visitors present during landfall and anticipates departures begin within days via Kingston with the US Embassy in Kingston limiting services to emergencies until 31 October.
The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association coordinates with aviation partners for joint relief efforts as ships divert from Jamaican ports adding sea days to itineraries and positioning for aid delivery post-assessments. Jamaica Customs Agency resumes partial operations at airports to prioritise clearance of disaster supplies with the ministry activating its Tourism Emergency Operations Centre to liaise with carriers and disaster agencies.
Analysts project weeks for full recovery at Montego Bay given the facility’s role in handling ninem passengers annually and its contribution to tourism revenue that comprises a third of the nation’s economy. The US State Department issues advisories for travellers to monitor updates from airlines and local authorities amid ongoing surveys of damage that includes landslides flash flooding and hospital impacts across parishes like St James and St Elizabeth.
Hurricane Melissa crosses into the Bahamas on 30 October 2025 after landfall in Jamaica on 28 October as a category five storm with winds over 185 miles per hour that causes five deaths on the island 20 in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Ireland does not have direct flights to Jamaica.
Daryl Vaz shared, “Reopening of Airports NMIA Kgn – 4PM Relief Flights Oct 29 NMIA Kgn – 7am Commercial Oct 30 Ian Fleming Intl – 7am Oct 30 Commercial Flights MBJ- 10am Oct 30 Relief Flights MBJ – Commercial Flights Resumption TBA Later following completion of assessment.”
Edmund Bartlett shared, “All 25000 international visitors who remained in Jamaica while Hurricane Melissa made landfall were accounted for and will be able to start leaving the island nation within days.”
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico shared, “Operations at Kingston and Montego Bay were suspended on October 25 and October 26 respectively and terminals have remained closed since the weekend halting passenger flows from two Jamaican airports that accounted for 11.0pc of GAP’s passenger traffic and 8.8pc of consolidated EBITDA.”
