MBJ Airports outperforms int’l counterparts
Published:Monday | July 31, 2023 | 12:08 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
While the world’s air traffic recovery stood at 72 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and the Latin America and Caribbean region performed admirably at 91 per cent, Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (SIA) recovery surpassed expectations at 92 per cent.
In fact, SIA has set itself apart from its counterparts in Central and South America with its extraordinary growth and recovery rate, said president and chief executive officer of the Airports Authority of Jamaica, Audley Deidrick.
He was speaking at the MBJ Airports organised SIA bi-annual forum on Friday in Montego Bay, St James.
“With this continued growth, Sangster is confidently expected to welcome five million passengers in 2023, which will result in the airport being elevated from a small airport to the league of medium-sized airports, a historic achievement for Jamaica’s aviation sector,” said Deidrick.
Originally, the airport expected to achieve these numbers in 2020, but was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the challenges posed by the pandemic, which initially dampened arrival expectations, the projected recovery timeline was pushed back to year 2026, explained the AAJ CEO.
He admitted that there was cause for anxiety in the travel and tourism sector in 2022 when there was the emergence of a new strain of the virus, coupled with the Russian-Ukraine War, new US and UK travel protocols, etc.
“Our optimism was stultified in the start of 2022, which got off to a sluggish growth versus projections. This poor first quarter 2022 traffic again gave cause for anxiety in the travel and tourism industry,” he shared.
However, both the Norman International Airport and Sangster International Airport outperformed expectations with a sharp resurrection of traffic growth in mid-2022. By June 2022 Sangster International Airport’s traffic had nearly equalled that of June 2019, heralding the start of a rapid resurgence.
Remarkable results
According to Deidrick, the results were nothing short of remarkable. The total airport traffic for 2022 soared to six million passengers, a staggering 76 per cent growth over 2021 and an astounding 91 per cent of the pre-pandemic figures in 2019. Sangster International Airport led with 4.4 million passengers in 2022 representing an impressive 92 per cent of the 4.76 million recorded in 2019, and NMIA achieved 87 per cent of its 2019 traffic levels with 1.6 million passengers.
Sangster International Airport’s highly anticipated implementation of online C5 forms was also highlighted by the AAJ CEO as a major step towards the country’s goal of achieving higher efficiency and passenger convenience. The airport is projected to go completely paperless by October 2023.
While the growth and recovery have been unprecedented, they have also brought about unexpected challenges, including the decrease in the nation’s workforce since the pandemic. “While the traffic and tourism traffic return with a vigour, the workforce to support the industry did not follow suit. This creates challenges for the various stakeholders in the airport to meet their usual service level standards,” he stated.
Deidrick commended MBJ Airports Limited for its commitment to its obligations and for its decision to continue its capital programme despite the pandemic’s setbacks. This dedication has led to SIA receiving the prestigious World Travel Award as the leading Caribbean airport 13 times, he said, a noteworthy achievement that reflects the airport’s unwavering pursuit of excellence.