American Airlines will connect Miami (MIA), Florida, with Ocho Ríos, Jamaica, beginning November 5th, reaching three Jamaican destinations in the company’s network.
The new link will be operated with Embraer 175 aircraft from its regional subsidiary, Envoy Air, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
«We continue to celebrate our 45th anniversary in Jamaica, and are delighted to launch our third island destination, Ocho Ríos, making us the first U.S. airline to offer access to this Caribbean paradise,» said Jose A. Freig, vice president, American International and Premium Guest Services.
Ocho Ríos has experienced explosive growth over the past decade to become a popular tourist destination with duty-free shopping, a cruise ship terminal, tourist attractions and several beaches.
«Flight 4007 will connect our customers to Ian Fleming International Airport, just minutes from some of Jamaica’s most beautiful natural treasures, such as James Bond Beach and Dunn’s River Falls,» Freig continued.
Ian Fleming International Airport (OCJ), which serves Ocho Ríos, has a runway 4769 feet (1454 m) long and 79 feet (24 m) wide. The infrastructure was renovated in 2010 in order to become an international airport, although it took more than 10 years for commercial service to materialize with the arrival of American.
Its operations were mostly limited to turboprop aircraft or business aviation. Air Jamaica Express and Intercaribbean Airways flew DHC 8-300 and Twin Otter aircraft until 2005 and 2020 respectively. Also smaller Jamaican carriers such as JAM Air Express, Jamaica Air Shuttle and Skylan Airways flew Ian Fleming to Montego Bay or Kingston.
The launch of American’s third destination in Jamaica will complement the airline’s strong presence on the island, with the following routes:
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium, for the upcoming summer season, American is the second largest carrier between the U.S. market and Jamaica with 27.3% of the seat supply.
