JCAA Working To Ensure Safe Resumption Of Aviation Services Following Hurricane Melissa

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) is expeditiously advancing restoration efforts to ensure the safe resumption of aviation services across the island in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Speaking with JIS News following Wednesday’s (October 29) tour of Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston by Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, and other airport stakeholders, JCAA Director General, Nari Williams-Singh, advised that the Authority’s teams have been working around the clock to restore operations.

Mr. Williams-Singh explained that the JCAA had activated its business continuity plan and recovery protocols ahead of the hurricane, which included taking certain systems offline.

“We have communication and navigation sites across the island, at the major international airports, as well as at the Kingston Air Traffic Control Centre which is at our headquarters. So according to our plan, we took the necessary precautions and powered down,” he said.

The Director General noted that the current restoration effort is focused on returning all systems to full operation.

“We are now in the process of bringing these systems back online. We took down some of our communication dishes. We’re now putting those back up and doing the relevant testing of these systems,” he said.

Mr. Williams-Singh pointed out that while assessments are ongoing at all sites, the Authority’s immediate priority is the safe resumption of operations at Jamaica’s major international airports.

“Montego Bay, as we know, was very badly hit. But right now, we really want to concentrate on getting operations in and out of Norman Manley [International Airport] and the Ian Fleming [International] Airport, as quickly as possible,” he said.

The Director General added that reports from the JCAA’s technical teams confirm that several critical systems are already back in operation, “and we have all hands on deck to get up and running as quickly as possible.”

However, connectivity between several sites remains under review, as high winds have impacted antennas and communication dishes.

Mr. Williams-Singh also underscored the critical importance of coordinated efforts among all aviation and border agencies to facilitate the smooth and safe restoration of air operations.

“We need to collaborate with our airport operators and the Airports Authority of Jamaica, Jamaica Customs Agency, the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency and all relevant entities. We are all coordinated, because it’s really an ecosystem and we all have to be in sync,” he stated.

Mr. Williams-Singh added that, “the JCAA continues to work closely with its partners to restore full operational capacity and ensure that Jamaica’s airspace and airport systems are fully functional in the shortest possible time.”