Copa to expand Montego Bay service to 10 weekly flights
Published:Monday | December 15, 2025 | 1:39 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer -
WESTERN BUREAU:
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says Copa Airlines will increase its service into Montego Bay, St James to 10 weekly flights, strengthening Jamaica’s South American airlift as the tourism sector steadily recovers from the disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Bartlett made the announcement during a tourism stakeholders’ meeting at Iberostar on Saturday, describing the move as a clear signal of confidence in the destination’s rebound.
The expanded service will bring Copa’s total Jamaica operations to 15 weekly flights, including five services into Kingston. Bartlett said the Montego Bay increase is particularly significant, given the city’s role as the island’s primary tourism gateway.
“South America is bubbling,” Bartlett told stakeholders, noting that Copa operates the most extensive network between South America and the Caribbean. “That’s 10 flights to Montego Bay, not Jamaica, because we already have five to Kingston.”
He said the additional rotations are coming on stream even as Jamaica operates at roughly 70 per cent of its room capacity, including hotels, villas, apartments and peer-to-peer accommodation, with further expansion expected into 2026.
Bartlett also pointed to strengthening airlift from Europe and the United Kingdom, citing continued service from British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, TUI and Condor, while Jamaica intensifies efforts to rebuild traffic from the United States, its largest source market.
Senior tourism officials are scheduled to begin engagements in the northeastern United States this week, targeting what Bartlett described as Jamaica’s “breadbasket” market.
The Copa expansion aligns with data presented by Shane Munroe, chief executive officer of MBJ Airports Limited, operator of Sangster International Airport, who said airline connectivity remains central to Jamaica’s recovery.
Speaking at the Sangster International Airport Forum last Wednesday, Munroe said the airport connected Jamaica to 45 destinations through 29 airline partners in 2025, despite operational headwinds linked to Hurricane Melissa.
“Sangster International Airport continues to be the primary gateway to the island,” Munroe said, noting that the airport’s long-term vision is to exceed passenger expectations while remaining “uniquely Jamaica”.
Passenger traffic through Sangster reached approximately 4.2 million by the end of 2025, representing an 8.7 per cent decline from 2024 levels. Munroe attributed the reduction to global pressures on travel demand, compounded by hurricane-related disruption to aircraft movements.
Despite the decline, he said the airport recorded approximately 34,000 aircraft movements for the year, while air cargo volumes increased to just under 5,000 tons, reflecting continued post-COVID recovery in that segment.
The United States remained Sangster’s dominant source market, accounting for 75 per cent of passenger traffic, followed by Canada at 11 per cent and Europe at 7 per cent, with the United Kingdom contributing 4 per cent. Latin America accounted for approximately 2 per cent of traffic.
Munroe said diversifying that market mix remains a strategic priority for the airport, as broader connectivity builds long-term resilience.
Data presented at the forum showed Panama City — served by Copa Airlines — among Sangster’s fastest-growing routes, alongside Lima, Peru, underscoring the rising importance of Latin American airlift to Jamaica’s tourism recovery.
Bartlett said Jamaica’s ability to rapidly repatriate approximately 25,000 visitors within a week of Hurricane Melissa passing helped restore airline confidence early in the recovery process.
He said the destination has welcomed roughly 300,000 visitors over the past four weeks, even as hotels and attractions continue phased reopening.
Bartlett said the expansion of airlift, coupled with rising occupancy levels, is expected to accelerate Jamaica’s tourism recovery into 2026.