Efforts are under way to assess equipment to facilitate the opening Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston for relief supplies as early as Thursday, Transport Minister Daryl Vaz says.
The category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall in St Elizabeth before moving across Jamaica and exiting to the northeast in St Ann.
He said both PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL) and the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCA) are expected to use tomorrow to inspect and clean the facility, restoring test equipment that may have been decommissioned to accommodate flights.
“These emergency relief flights could therefore be accommodated as early as Thursday, October 30, 205. Again, we are not sure of what’s going to happen in Montego Bay, who will face at least, a lower category, possibly category 3. So, we’re unable to say anything on Sangster (International Airport) but we know that it could have potential disabling impact for that airport,” said Vaz.
He said Ian Fleming International Airport is being considered as a part of contingency planning.
“So it means that we could get into lan Fleming with certain types of aircraft and that will help us significantly based on the distance between lan Fleming and Montego Bay.”
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