Caribbean News
Jamaica welcomes 196 passengers on inaugural Swoop Airlines
Montego Bay, December 20, 2018 – Jamaica – Ultra low-cost carrier Swoop, made its inaugural flight from Canada into the island on Sunday (December 16), landing at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay at approximately 12:45 p.m. with 196 passengers on board.
A high-level delegation was on hand to greet the passengers and flight crew, presenting them with bead necklaces as gifts.
Swoop, which is owned by WestJet, will be making twice weekly flights from John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to Sangster International through to April 24, 2019.
Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who led the welcome party, noted that the flight was fully booked and included a number of Jamaican nationals.
“This is the first ultra low-cost carrier that comes out of Canada to Jamaica,” the Minister pointed out.
“What this does is … allow for more people to access Jamaica, and who otherwise could not have afforded the fares being charged by some of the traditional carriers. This will also allow more of our people living in Canada the opportunity to come home for vacations,” he said.
High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica, Laurie Peters, who was on hand to greet the passengers, said the arrival of yet another airline out of Canada into Jamaica is proof of the special relationship between the two countries and the love and respect “we continue to receive from the Jamaican people.”
“I would like to think that it is not just our cold, dark winters that bring so much of our people here but the long-standing ties and excellent relationship we have had over the years. It is always a good sign to see these kinds of things, considering that Canada has been a long and strong aviation partner,” she noted further.
The Canadian High Commissioner said she is encouraged by the numbers she has been seeing as it relates to Canadians visiting Jamaica for Airbnb vacations, noting that “this can only get better as time goes on”.
“I think Jamaica will continue to see only strong numbers coming out of Canada. As the Minister of Tourism so boldly predicted, 500,000 by 2020 is a real possibility and something that I endorse,” she added.
Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright, noted that Jamaica continues to increase airlift into the island by working with the airlines to ensure an adequate number of seats to meet the growing demand.
He pointed to increased arrivals from the traditional markets of the United States, Canada and England, and expansion into new areas like Latin America and Eastern Europe.
Mr. Seiveright said that thousands of additional seats were negotiated for the 2018/2019 high season in December 
out of North America, Canada, the United Kingdom (UK) and Northern Europe.
“In addition, several new flights made their landing at the Sangster International Airport out of Eastern Europe, including Eurowings, Pegas Fly and Nordwind, as well as Canadian airlines WestJet and Sunwing. Copa Airlines increased to daily, its service between Panama City, its main hub, and Montego Bay,” he noted.
Latam Airlines Group also announced Nonstop Direct Flights from Peru to Montego Bay beginning July 2019, and Frontier Airlines, one of the newest routes out of the United States, made its inaugural flight on November 17.
Mr. Seiveright said preliminary data show that Jamaica will welcome well over 4.3 million visitors and earn US$3.3 billion by the end of the year.
Release: JIS
Contact: Garwin Davis
Photo Caption: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (second right), greets passengers, who arrived at the Sangster International Airport on Sunday (December 16) on the Swoop airlines inaugural flight from Canada into the island. The welcome party also includes Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis (centre) and High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica, Laurie Peters(in background, left).
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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