March 9, 2021

Transport and Mining Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, says the Government is moving aggressively to upgrade Jamaica’s aerodromes as part of plans to improve commuter travel. He said this should be welcome news for local and international travellers who, he noted, have long voiced concerns about the distance and length of time taken to traverse the island via road. The Minister also advised that work is under way to pilot the local aviation industry’s strong recovery from the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He was speaking during the recent opening of the new $17-million Negril aerodrome fire station in Westmoreland. Mr. Montague said improvement work already undertaken at local aviation facilities by the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) includes the establishment of pilot lounges at the Tinson Pen aerodrome in Kingston, Ken Jones aerodrome in Portland, and Ian Fleming aerodrome in St. Mary, while adding that similar engagements are slated for the other locations. He advised that an overlay is scheduled for the runway at the Lionel Dempsher aerodrome in St. Elizabeth and that “we are also putting in some restrooms and a waiting area”. “Recently, we got a fire truck at Tinson Pen and we are going to be building a new fire station at Ian Fleming,” the Minister further informed. Mr. Montague pointed out that Jamaica’s 14 aerodromes provide commuters with the opportunity to save time and money to move across the island. “Persons, notably visitors going to Ocho Rios, St. Mary or even Port Antonio, can now cut their journey in half by flying out of Montego Bay into the Ian Fleming International Airport… and the same goes for those who want to go to Kingston or Negril,” he stated. Consequent on this, Mr. Montague said no effort will be spared in upgrading the aerodromes “and, by extension, the aviation industry”. For his part, AAJ President, Audley Deidrick, said it is important that local stakeholders and business interests seize the opportunity to make aviation a central part of Jamaica’s economic recovery from COVID-19. He said the fact that the industry is heavily dependent on tourism, which, he noted, accounts for more than 80 per cent of Jamaica’s aviation traffic, makes it a “no-brainer” for stakeholders to position themselves to make domestic travel far more accessible, seamless and timely. “As we look to the post-COVID recovery of our aviation and tourism industries, we need to seize the opportunity to improve the facilities which will place us in the forefront of the market when the resurgence begins,” Mr. Deidrick said. “Let us, therefore, look forward and plan together with the expectation to emerge better and stronger, post COVID,” he further stated. Meanwhile, Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Bertel Moore, who also spoke at the function, urged that consideration be given to upgrading the Negril Aerodrome to enable it to accommodate international flights. “In the near future, I would like to see this aerodrome become a halfway international airport. With Negril being one of the tourism meccas of Jamaica, I am optimistic that the facility can attract enough business to warrant international recognition,” Mr. Moore said.

“Price is a major factor preventing increased movement of cargo by small and medium-sized producers within the Caribbean,” was one of the conclusions coming out of a virtual forum on ‘Inter-island Cargo Transportation’, held on Sunday, February 28, and staged by the Caribbean Association of Customs Brokers (CACUB). The discussion focused on the challenges being faced by suppliers who are unable to fill a container, but “have a pallet or two of goods” that require consolidation, and other types of facilitation, to get to other territories of the Caribbean. Other regional trade issues that were discussed at the forum were the need for all territories to adopt the ASYCUDA World system for Customs that provides a digital platform for greater efficiency, tracking and speed of service, and the need for greater coordination among producers/manufacturers, shipping lines and ports. More than 80 participants, including Caribbean manufacturers, customs brokers, freight forwarders and representatives of shipping lines and ports serving the Caribbean, participated in the first virtual forum staged by CACUB. In his welcome address, Delroy Fairweather, president of the regional association, explained that the forum was convened in keeping with CACUB’s objective of being “a driving force for improving regional trade”. He said that the customs brokers of the Caribbean played an important role in the supply chain and, therefore, felt a responsibility to get all parties together to find solutions. Louis Forde, first vice-president of CACUB, noted that whereas the large manufacturers and producers of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) can fill whole containers and enjoy the economies of scale and reliability of transportation of their cargo by sea, the smaller LCL (less than container load) producers faced a number of challenges. The challenges faced by LCL suppliers were summed up by Shardae Boyce, chairman and executive director of the newly formed CARICOM Manufacturers Association (CMA), as being lack of reliable and consistent interregional transportation; landing charges being too high at Caribbean ports; and the need for coordination and advertising of available capacities and shipping schedules, including delivery dates. In their response, the representatives of three of the major shipping lines serving the Caribbean – Crowley, Seaboard and Tropical – stated that there was no lack of interregional transportation and that their schedules were available and made public on their websites. With regard to landing charges, it was noted that the ports may be approached to review their charges and fees to facilitate traders with less than a container load. It was suggested that rather than charging by full container, fees could be calculated by pallet, weight or measurement. It was also suggested that the CMA could encourage members to pool their resources and assist in coordinating arrangements among the various parties in the supply chain. With regard to port charges, it was pointed out that governments and trade unions may need to be brought into the discussion, as taxes and labour charges were included in the landing and other fees charged at ports. In his contribution to the discussion, Ambassador G. Anthony Hylton said that there were a number of issues that need to be considered at the policy and industrial levels. He recommended that governments become better acquainted with the issues involving logistics and the supply chain in order to develop and implement policies that address the strategic needs of the region. In concluding CACUB’s first virtual forum, Donovan Wignall, treasurer and assistant secretary of CACUB and chairman of the proceedings, thanked all presenters and participants for their contribution to the discussion. He said that the meeting had pointed to solutions that need to be explored, and that regional organisations such as CACUB and the CMA are being activated at a most opportune time, when the Caribbean needs their involvement in improving regional trade.