NMIA passenger traffic dips, but cargo surges in 2026

Passenger traffic at Norman Manley International Airport has fallen by 3.2 per cent so far in 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, while cargo volumes at the Kingston gateway have surged by 50 per cent over the corresponding period, airport operators revealed on Tuesday.

Sitara English-Byfield, chief executive officer at PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL), said the reduction in passenger traffic at NMIA was partly due to a downturn in activity by Spirit Airlines during April. The American low-cost carrier announced on May 2 that it had gone out of business after 34 years in operation.

Speaking at an NMIA Stakeholders Forum at the S Hotel in Kingston, English-Byfield noted that cargo volumes at the airport for the first four months of 2026 hadve risen by 70 per cent compared to the first four months of 2019, and by 50 per cent compared to the first four months of 2025.

“Aircraft movement is up 11.4 per cent up to April [2026] compared to [up to April] 2025. This is attributed to significant increase in cargo traffic to Norman Manley,” the CEO said.

Cargo traffic to the island rose sharply following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October last year, as Jamaicans and members of the diaspora shipped goods and supplies to support national recovery and rebuilding efforts.

English-Byfield also revealed that the proportion of passengers coming from the United States market declined from 64 per cent year-to-date in 2025 to 61 per cent in 2026. Meanwhile, the market share for the other major source markets recorded increases in 2026 compared with 2025.

“The Caribbean is now up to 17.8 per cent [in 2026] versus 16.5 per cent [in 2025], Canada is up to 10.9 per cent from 10.2 per cent, the United Kingdom is up to 6.2 per cent versus 5.8 per cent, and South and Central America is up to 4.0 per cent versus 3.1 per cent,” the CEO said.

English-Byfield further noted that Panama’s Copa Airlines is now operating daily flights to NMIA, expanding from the Monday-to-Friday schedule it maintained over the past decade. She added that arrivals from South and Central America have increased by 20 per cent in 2026, with the growth largely driven by Copa Airlines.

Also, British Airways added a Saturday flight to its schedule in March, making its four weekly flights from the UK for that airline. British Airways already had flights on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Financially, PACKAL has contributed US$304 million to the Jamaican economy in 2026, English-Byfield shared. This, she said, was made up of US$197 million in revenues, US94 million capital expenditures, and US$13 million in taxes.

luke.douglas@gleanerjm.com