SKY-HIGH SOLUTIONS

WESTERN BUREAU:

In the face of escalating gridlock between Jamaica’s bustling cities, a suggestion by Minister of Transport, Daryl Vaz, for the revival of intra-island domestic airline services has been met with an enthusiastic nod by aviation experts.

Vaz said he issued a bold challenge to the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) board last month hours ahead of the Sangster International Airport (SIA) Forum, pushing for a transformative solution that harks back to the golden era of travel.

“It’s very difficult for me to know that there is no intra-island domestic airline service in 2023,” he stated, adding that he has charged the AAJ to let the world know that Jamaica was open for business.

“And I would love for the day where we will have that service as an option, rather than having to depend solely on ground transportation between parishes, which has been done so successfully by a Montego Bay businessman,” he added.

He argued that any progressive nation should aim to have intra-island domestic airline services.

Vaz’s remarks come as a beacon of hope for commuters grappling with travel between Kingston and Montego Bay. The severity of the situation has escalated to the point where the once picturesque drive can take up to three and a half hours.

The worst congestion epicentre lies between Drax Hall and Discovery Bay, St Ann, where motorists can find themselves queued for up to an hour and a half to two hours, especially, if they run into peak traffic anywhere close to midday or hit the road later than 3:30 p.m.

The last company to offer domestic flight service between the two capital cities was Howard Levy’s Airlink, under his Jam Air umbrella. Levy operated two flights per day from the Tinson Pen Aerodrome to Sangster International.

“The domestic airline market can be very lucrative, there is no question it would work again owing to traffic jams being experienced once you get off the toll road,” Levy told The Gleaner, adding that Vaz is the best suited government minister to revive the system.

“He is the best the aviation industry has ever had. He is an action man, who has put the right people in the right places to deal with the aviation challenges the current administration inherited,” Levy told The Gleaner yesterday.

According to aviation expert, who has spent the last 35 years in the industry, he was forced to cease service at the time, owing to the fact that the company he leased two aircraft from was taken over by another business.

Levy currently operates a charter service across the island, flying mainly between Negril and Ocho Rios.

He notes that once the drive between the cities goes over three hours, the need for air travel becomes necessary.

He also admitted that the industry was plagued with lots of problems, including regulatory issues, which Minister Vaz is addressing, but would not expound when The Gleaner pressed for more information.

In the meantime, Vaz, since taking on this portfolio, has told the people in charge of aviation that he wants to see timelines, who are the people responsible for specific areas reported on, and instructed that the island’s airports must not only meet current demands, but also anticipate the needs of future growth.

“The demands on our airports are ever growing, driven by the increasing global mobility of people and goods. So it is our responsibility to adapt, innovate and invest in infrastructure that will define the future of air travel,” he noted.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com