LIAT 2020 Makes Inaugural Flight to Montego Bay

Jamaica marked another regional aviation milestone as LIAT 2020’s inaugural flight from Antigua and Barbuda to Montego Bay touched down at Sangster International Airport on Friday, July 11.

The new service expands on the existing Antigua-Kingston route by introducing seamless connectivity to Montego Bay, with flights operating three times weekly aboard a 50-seat aircraft.

Passengers travelling the full Antigua–Kingston–Montego Bay route will enjoy uninterrupted service without layovers, making regional travel more convenient than ever before.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, lauded the launch of LIAT 2020’s expanded service as a major advancement in the pursuit of true Caribbean tourism integration.

“We now have in Jamaica the presence of every single possible airline that traverses the Caribbean at this time. We have connectivity with Bahamasair, Caribbean Airlines, Cayman Airways, interCaribbean Airways, Aerogaviota, and now LIAT 2020, which is making an even better connection,” he said.

Mr. Bartlett indicated that Jamaica is strategically positioning itself as a regional aviation hub to facilitate connections across the Caribbean’s market of nearly 50 million people.

He noted that additional carriers are set to join Jamaica’s expanding regional network, including Sunrise Airways from Haiti, and Avianca, which will launch direct service from Bogotá, Colombia, to Montego Bay in the coming months.

“The important point of all of this is that we now must develop the ambition to harmonise the policies to enable air and sea connectivity in a seamless way in the Caribbean,” the Minister emphasised.

“The Caribbean is also now ready for global connectivity with this kind of interlink that is taking place, and I’m excited about this prospect. We’ve been talking about it, and we need to talk [and act more],” he added.

Approximately 34 million travellers visited last year, spending close to US$40 billion, with tourism accounting for a third of all jobs across the region.

For his part, LIAT 2020’s Chief Operating Officer, Kidus Melkamu, expressed gratitude for the support received from MBJ Airports Limited and other State agencies in facilitating the airline’s inaugural flight to Montego Bay.

Mr. Melkamu noted plans to further optimise LIAT 2020’s Kingston-Montego Bay service by separating the routes to increase flight frequency— a move aimed at enhancing passenger convenience and enabling same-day travel between Caribbean cities and destinations such as Ghana.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in Antigua and Barbuda’s Tourism Ministry, Sandra Joseph, celebrated the historic LIAT 2020 flight as a symbol of regional unity that fosters tourism, education and business ties.

She highlighted Jamaica’s significance as the twin-island nation’s second-largest tourism market and praised LIAT 2020 for strengthening cultural and economic connections.

Chief Executive Officer of MBJ Airports Limited, Shane Munroe, welcomed LIAT 2020’s presence in Jamaica as a strategic addition that enhances regional connectivity and offers passengers greater flexibility for efficient travel across the Caribbean.