British Airways welcomed back to Montego Bay

The inaugural British Airways flight, which landed at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport with a full-capacity passenger load of 280 travellers on October 29, marked the return of the British airline to the Jamaican destination after a gap of more than five years.

British Airways has relaunched the route between London’s Gatwick and Sangster International Airport, a service that was previously available until it was halted seven years ago. The airline will now be providing twice-weekly connections between the two airports, scheduled on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The inaugural flight was given a hearty welcome at the Sangster International Airport, where Jamaican tourism officials turned out to welcome the passengers and airline crew on their arrival at Montego Bay.

The reintroduction of the service has been welcomed by local tourism officials as a sign of growing confidence in Montego Bay as a tourist destination for British travellers. Jamaican officials were quoted as saying they hoped the airline would in fact increase the frequency of weekly flights.

Officials also expressed delight that the inaugural flight was filled to capacity, saying this was a good sign for the potential on this route.

British Airways also provides a thrice weekly connection from Gatwick to Kingston in Jamaica. The new services to Montego Bay will therefore bring the airline’s weekly connections to Jamaica to a total of five.

The resumed service to Montego Bay is expected to bring an influx of British tourists to the Jamaican destination, and locals hope this will lead to a stronger tourism industry and more jobs.