TUI resumes UK charter flights after Melissa
Published:Wednesday | November 26, 2025 | 12:09 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Jamaica’s arrival numbers remain sharply down three weeks after Hurricane Melissa battered the island, leaving thousands of hotel rooms offline until well into 2026. But on Monday, a small yet symbolic victory touched down at Sangster International Airport – the first international charter from the United Kingdom since the record Category-5 storm.
The TUI flight from London Gatwick carried 345 passengers, a mix of flight-only travellers and package holiday guests. Destination Manager Carina Gonzalez called it a “cautiously optimistic” restart of operations.
“We’ve got one flight coming in today, one on Tuesday and one on Sunday from the UK,” Gonzalez told The Gleaner. “Most of the guests are flight-only passengers, but we do have package guests as well. They’ll be staying at Riu Montego Bay, Riu Palace Jamaica, Riu Reggae and the Grand Palladium.”
She said TUI is assessing recovery week by week. “Everything is very fluid,” she noted. “We’re looking at clean-up efforts, resort readiness and even hospital infrastructure. We need to see how this week goes before confirming next week’s flights.”
Charter services from London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham represent key UK source markets and provide a morale boost for tourism workers facing a long recovery. Gonzalez said package guests will stay at vetted hotels, while flight-only passengers may lodge with relatives or smaller independent properties.
Several attractions have already reopened. “Dunn’s River is open and ready for business,” she said. “Mystic Mountain opened the day after the hurricane. Chukka is almost ready in some locations. So we do have attractions to offer our guests.”
The contrast along the north coast remains stark. “When you travel from Montego Bay to Kingston, it hardly looks like Jamaica had a hurricane,” Gonzalez said. “But once you pass St Ann’s Bay and head west, it’s a very different picture.”
Despite widespread damage to hotels in St Ann, Trelawny and western St James, the return of airlift – even at three flights per week – is seen as a critical signal that Jamaica is open and moving forward. Resorts such as Moon Palace, S Hotel Montego Bay, Deja, several small properties in Negril, Riu Ocho Rios and Iberostar never officially closed and have continued to provide yeoman service.
Fred Smith, CEO of Tropical Tours, said Monday’s arrival marks the start of a meaningful rebound. “TUI’s decision to return with three flights this week alone is extremely encouraging,” he said. “It shows the faith our tour operators continue to have in Jamaica. Tourism is governed by relationships, and when we give partners our commitment that the product will be ready, they trust us, because historically, we make sure it is ready.”
He added: “Jamaica has been challenged by Melissa, but this is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of bigger, better things. We’re going to rebuild, and we’re going to come back stronger.”
Smith emphasised TUI’s importance to Jamaica’s tourism sector. “TUI is one of our major partners, among the top five tour operators in the entire world. When a company of that size leads the way by sending back passengers, it tells you Jamaica is still in a very good place. Their confidence comes from decades of solid relationships.”
While several major hotels are not expected to reopen until late 2026, tourism stakeholders say the arrival of UK charters shows Jamaica’s recovery has begun — one full flight at a time.