Jamaica’s Airports Work Toward Reopening After Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica’s airports remain closed to most traffic following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the Category 5 storm that brought 185-mph winds and record rainfall across the island, Tuesday.

Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston has been closed since Saturday night, and Sangster International in Montego Bay since Sunday afternoon, after aviation authorities ordered suspensions ahead of the hurricane’s landfall. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, the company that operates both airports, said in a statement Tuesday that its teams are working on assessing major damage while also coordinating with local authorities to resume service “as soon as conditions allow.”

Jamaican Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Daryl Vazmp, said in a post on X that airports will begin coming back online later Thursday and early Friday, initially to support relief efforts.

Chief Executive Raúl Revuelta Musalem said the company’s priority is “the safety and protection of employees, passengers, and the surrounding communities.”

🚨 #Update: Reopening of Airports

NMIA, Kgn – 4PM Relief Flights Oct 29
NMIA, Kgn – 7am Commercial Oct 30

Iam Flemming Intl – 7am Oct 30 Commercial Flights

MBJ- 10am Oct 30 Relief Flights
MBJ – Commercial Flights Resumption TBA Later following completion of assessment pic.twitter.com/rZ1xS0cnpb

— darylvazmp (@darylvazmp) October 29, 2025

Energy and Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said Petrojam, the nation’s state-owned oil refinery, has ensured all three international airports and regional aerodromes are stocked to about 80 percent capacity with aviation fuel to enable flight operations to restart quickly.

Relief flights are expected to stage through Ian Fleming International and other smaller airfields while safety inspections continue at major airports. North Carolina–based Samaritan’s Purse said its first relief aircraft, carrying 13 pallets of survival kits for 1,650 families, departed Wednesday morning. Vaz added that Norman Manley International could begin handling limited humanitarian operations by Thursday if inspections confirm safe conditions.

Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay. Melissa was no joke. Prayers. 🙏❤️🇯🇲 #HurricaneMelissa pic.twitter.com/bIC7c8LvbP

— Bonita Jamaica (@BonitaJamaica) October 29, 2025

Tourism officials report that more than half a million residents remain without power, and that St. Elizabeth parish absorbed some of the worst damage. Airlines including Air Canada, WestJet, and Delta have extended flexible rebooking policies through early November, while Europe’s Tui said it has positioned two Boeing 787 Dreamliners in the Caribbean in order to help support airlifts once Montego Bay reopens.

Despite ongoing power outages, the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority said most communication systems are functioning on backup generators.

Authorities emphasize that reopening airports quickly is critical not only to move relief supplies but also to revive the island’s tourism sector, which accounts for roughly one-third of Jamaica’s annual revenue.